Who Came Back
by meowingnow
Summary: It was a normal Tuesday, when Rick and Kate received an unexpected visitor. Not knowing it was going to turn their world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I wish my name was Andrew Marlowe, so I could own Castle, instead I'm just a teenager messing with his characters.**

It was Tuesday, which meant family dinner at the Castle household, well only the parents and the kids, grandparents were saved for Saturdays. So there was Katherine Castle watching out her son as he made an effort to lay the table, of course at six he already thought that he could deal with everything the world threw at him. Well the age and his father's imagination, Ok, maybe his father played a huge role in his personality; that's what you get when your dad is a nine-year-old on a sugar rush. So Roy was placing every fork as if it was about to explode. Thank God Alexis was there to give her hand when it was needed. As she looked at her son, she couldn't help but finding everything his and hers on him, like her hazel green eyes, his charming smile, his black hair and of course the big heart and the sense of justice he got from his mother. Also, he was as responsible as his big sister. He always did what he was told, always looking up to his big sister Lexis. But, he also took care of his younger sister; from day one when they introduced Johanna Martha Castle to the world he was trying to be the best big brother for his little sister. So, she couldn't do anything but marvel at the six-year-old her husband and her had welcome to the world. Roy Alexander Castle was the perfect son. When he was finished with the table, he looked at her with her same eyes, and pouting his lips asked:

"Mommy, can I go watch TV with Lex?"

"But who's gonna help me with the cookies?" She asked as she saw his eyes wide with excitement. Yeap, he's his father son.

"Cookies? Well, in that case I will help you, but can I lick the spoon?" He asked as his mother took out the dough to make the cookies.

"Of course you can monkey, now go to the bathroom and clean your hands" And he ran to the bathroom just as he was told.

Alexis looked at Kate and went to the kitchen. Alexis had been thrilled when they announced her first pregnancy, and over the moon when they found out their second child was a baby girl. She had bounded with her step-mother over the years, with a lot of heart talk, boy talk and yes arguing about random things. But Kate had been always there for Alexis, not just for her father, she had been the one who watched her grow into the woman she was now, she had been there when she moved in with Pi, even though that didn't end well, she was there when she had that pregnancy alert, when she came home crying because she broke up with Tyler, when she got mad at her mother, when she moved out of the loft, even when Meredith forgot about her on her birthday. That was the reason why she called her mom after all, because Meredith may be her mother, but Kate was her mom. Kate had been surprised when she called her mom for the first time, that night when she was there for her with pregnancy test in hand, after all, she didn't marry Castle she married him and his family just as he married hers. So Alexis was the first one to find out she was thinking of legally adopting her, before that her father. So three six and a half years ago they both signed the paper that named Alexis her daughter and she couldn't be more proud of her. That was what they were celebrating today.

"So, what's his name?" Kate asked her out of the blue.

"What?" She replied astonished

"The guy you're dating, I'm a detective, I know these things"

"His name is Jacob and we met at the entrance of the building, he got lost and I showed him around, when we got to the right office, he handed me a paper with his number and said: Here, call me if you want a tour of the best place to eat, and then he was gone. I swear he knew I was going to call him because when I did, he just said: Hey, at what time do I pick you up? And that was it."  
"How long have this being going on?"

"Like for about a month? I wanted to tell you mom, but I couldn't find the right time, either we're busy or we have the kids and dad around" She said trying to excuse herself.

"Yeah, we've been pretty busy here. I'll tell you what, this Saturday will go shopping, and leave the kids with your dad and go"

"You want to leave dad with two kids all by himself?" She asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, right, we'll leave them at my dad's and make yours write the chapter he needs to get done" she said rolling her eyes.

Suddenly they heard a high-pitched scream followed by laughter and footsteps loudly resounding through the loft. Then a really excited and naked Johanna made her way down the stairs laughing at his dad running after her with a bubbly beard on his face. The four-year-old looked at her mother and ran through the kitchen looking back at her father holding the towel. She was just as her mother, her face resembled her mother in ways that she even marveled, and also she had the same smile as her grandma Johanna who she never met. But being a Castle, she had the melodramatics of her grandma Martha and the excitement and imagination of his father. Her blue eyes were the same as her dad's and she did the same thing to her brother that her father did to her mother: drive him crazy, which was usually followed by a really annoyed Roy rolling his eyes just like his mother did. But she had the same meaning of family as her grandpa Jim, always looking after them, just as her grandpa did. They were both a perfect mix of Beckett and Castle.

"Rick, what is Jo doing running around naked?" Kate asked her husband as he came to a stop.

"She was taking a bath, when Roy showed up to clean his hands; Jo asked him what he was doing so he told her that you were going to make cookies. Jo literally jumped out of the bath tub and left me there, being beared by your son who was buying her time"

"Beard? Really? And of course he's my son when he gets in trouble and yours when he behaves correctly. Ok give me that towel you go and clean your face while I chase Jo down" She said taking the towel from his husband's grasp.

"But mom, we were going to make cookies" Her son whined.

"Lex will help you right?" She asked her daughter

"Yeah, of course, c'mon little man let's get this started" She said as she helped her brother sit on the counter.

Alexis and Roy were watching the cookies in the oven, the latter drooling, when they heard the door bell. Knowing their parents were busy with Jo, Roy looked at Alexis and went to the front door, he waited as his sister made her way and then opened the door.

The woman, who was waiting outside, was a brunette with hazel green eyes and a familiar smile. Alexis, who only had seen Johanna on photos was shocked when she realized who was standing at their front door.

"Hi, I think I got the wrong number, I'm looking for Katherine Beckett, do you know where I can find her?" She asked with the same smile as Jo's.

"No, you got the right number, Roy go and call dad. " She ordered her brother; he nodded with his head and went off to look for his father.

"So she lives here?" Johanna asked.

"Yes, she does… Oh, sorry I didn't introduce myself, I'm Alexis" She said offering her step-grandmother her hand.

"Hi, I'm Johanna Beckett" She said shaking her hand.

At that moment they heard the voice they both wanted to hear:  
"Johanna Martha Castle come here now and clean this mess" Kate ordered her daughter.

"Wait, Castle? That means that you must be Richard Castle's daughter, so Katie married-

"Who's at the door?" Her father asked through the living room.

In that moment Richard Castle saw the last person she expected to see at his door a Tuesday evening: Johanna Beckett, his daughter long-lost mother.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:**** This was really hard to write, I will see the reviews and change the chapter so it will more fitting, I'm sorry for the mistakes English is not my native language.**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Castle.**

"_Wait, Castle? That means that you must be Richard Castle's daughter, so Katie married-"_

_ "Who's at the door?" Her father asked through the living room._

_In that moment Richard Castle saw the last person he expected to see at his door a Tuesday evening: Johanna Beckett, his wife's long-lost mother._

Castle had only seen Johanna Beckett in pictures, the ones Kate showed them when she told Roy and Jo about their grandma so they couldn't forget her. But she was in their lives, whether it was Jo smiling or Roy trying to make everything as fair as possible or even in his wife and her habit of fighting for everyone's justice. But he NEVER in his life thought that the same person who had shaped his family so much would be standing there. He stared at her; she had her eyes, Jo's smile, Kate's nose and of course Kate's and Roy's eyes. She was 100% Johanna Beckett. He had been thinking about the words that he could say to her since he had that dream in which he met her but didn't say a word, but being Richard Castle the words that came out of his mouth were:

"Holy shit, you are HER. Alexis pinch me, I must be dreaming" He said without breaking eye contact with the woman outside his door. She did and he cringed.

"No, I'm not dreaming, neither I'm in a parallel universe this time so that must mean that you are real" He said reasoning with his crazy theories in his head.

"You are Richard Castle?" She asked as she extended her hand, "I'm Johanna Beckett, Katie's mother" She said shaking his hand.

"I think you already know my name…Alexis go and look for your mother" He said, inviting Johanna in.

Once inside, they came face to face with an overly excited Jo.

"MOMMY! LOOK WHO I FINDED: GRANDMA JOHANNA" The little girl screamed out of her lungs, her mother replied from the master bedroom.

"Jo, I told you not to joke about it, that's impossible even with your father's childish imagination-" She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing beside her husband.

"Who are you? Is this a joke? Because if it is, Rick you are sleeping at your mother's" She said looking at her husband and then back to the other woman in front of her.

"No, Katie this isn't a joke, I'm real and I'm alive." She said stepping closer to her daughter.

"The hell you're real, stay away from me and my family. You may sound like her and look like her but you aren't her. Because my mother died, she's been dead for over 22 years. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER! SHE'S DEAD, SHE'S FUCKING DEAD!" She screamed at the woman in front of her.

Jo, who had never seen her mother screamed like that, started to cry. Castle saw his daughter cry and tried to get to her, but she refused to go to him, instead she went to her room and shut her door. Alexis took Roy's hand and went to get her sister. She closed the door behind them letting her parents deal with the new information.

In the living room, Rick was standing next to Johanna Beckett watching his wife react to the news. Kate was red from anger, she was still refusing to believe that her mother, the person who she dedicated her life to, was alive, the reason she left her studies in Stanford was ruined. Everything she had done in her life to get closure to her mother wasn't significant anymore. All the night she had pulled off to solve her mother's murder was now a waste of time, even the fact that Bracken was rotting in jail was worthless to her. She looked at her mother, REALLY looked at her and found all of the features she knew so well, but now she had wrinkles, her hair wasn't as brown as she remembered, her eyes weren't so bright anymore. She understood then that as every person in the world, time had caught up with her; she was no longer frozen in time like she was in her memory or in the photos. Johanna Beckett was alive and in her living room, waiting for her to do something.

"You're supposed to be dead; you can't be here right now. Because if you are, then everything I have achieved in life was for NOTHING! I wasted my time at the Police Academy; I wasted my money in moving back, I spent three fucking years trying to sober dad up because he couldn't take it, he couldn't accept that you had left us. The only thing that was worth it was meeting Castle and even that was based on lies, because if you wouldn't have died I would never read his book or became a cop anyways. You can't be real because if you are then, my family is a lie. MY LIFE IS A FUCKING LIE!" She screamed with tears in her eyes. Her mother didn't say a word; it was her husband who dared to break the silence.

"Kate, why don't you go out with Alexis to clear your head and then come back?" He suggested knowing perfectly what she needed: the comfort and the reassurance of her eldest daughter.

She consider the idea, she just wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Ok, I'll call Alexis and leave the kids at my dad's for the night" She said, getting her phone out of the pocket.

"Kate, I'll call him, you go get the kids and Alexis. Want to take my car?"He offered her his Ferrari, which he still didn't do usually.

"No, I'll take mine" She said going upstairs leaving a really stunned Johanna on the living room.

"Johanna, why don't you come with me to my office?" He said smiling at her, that charming smile that he used with the people so rarely.

She nodded and they went to his office. The office was the only place of the loft without framed photos; Kate had said that it was because he usually was distracted with anything so the office was lacking the family environment. Over the shelves, there were his novels, the Derrick Storm series and his favorite: The Nikki Heat series. Over the years, he had written more books still, the only series that convinced him as a writer were the adventures of Nikki Heat. He was staring at the woman in front of him, there were so many things that he wanted to know. The writer in him demanded an interview to the person who gave him his wife; he knew that wasn't possible because his wife was the one who had the right to ask first. He waited patiently as she opened the first of the Nikki Heat novel, her face lit up when she read the dedicatory of the book.

KB were the letters that somehow made her the proudest mom ever, her Katie had been in this man's life longer than she thought. Because if she knew something about her daughter was how much she valued family, and to have that with her favorite author was unbelievable. She had guessed that she was married by now, never suspected it was to Richard Castle. As she read through the first lines of the book, she could sense all of the hard work he had put into it, this wasn't like a Derrick Storm novel, in fact, it was another thing entirely different because _he _had based his book on _her_ daughter.

He didn't say a word until he heard the door shut. He was about to say something when she asked him the question she had had on her head since she had stepped foot in his home.

"Do you love her?" she placed the book back in the shelf and turned to look at him.

"I do, I can't imagine my life without her or the kids for that matter. We met at a case and I knew from that moment she introduced herself, that I couldn't let her slip away. I knocked down the walls she had built around herself. And I was there when she arrested Senator Bracken for you murder. I waited four years until she decided to take a step forwards in our relationship, I was there when she stepped in a bomb, I didn't leave even if I wasn't supposed to be there. And of course I was there when she found out we were expecting Roy and Jo. I went with her to my book launching parties, at least the ones she agreed to go. She certainly made it clear that I was off the market by then. But most of all, she has made my life complete in so many ways that when I think about it, it makes me wonder what did I do to deserve her." He went to the door of the office and waited for her, she looked confused as she didn't know the man at all. She only knew his connection to her daughter.

"I'll give you a tour of the place" he then opened the door and waited until she was gone to close the door.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: I'm sorry that it took me so long to post chapter 2 but I just finished my semester exams this week. So this chapter will continue the last one but instead of focusing on Johanna and Castle it'll focus on Alexis and Beckett. Again I'm sorry it took so long last time. **

**Disclaimer: I still haven't received an e-mail from Marlowe telling me that I own Castle so; I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, except from Roy and Jo. **

Kate Castle was a woman of sense, she knew even in the weirdest cases what was real and what wasn't. She had put up with her husband for over thirteen years for crying out loud. But in her mind this situation didn't make at all. She closed the door, and checking that the kids had their bag prepared, she looked at Alexis who was waiting by the elevator and they went down.

Alexis was silent during the elevator ride, she didn't want to overwhelm her mother more by asking the question everyone is asking. Kate needed space to think but she also needed the support of her family. Because they were a family not a normal family but they were there when they needed it. That was family does, stay together through thick and thin. So, when they approached the car, Alexis asked Kate for the keys, she tried to complain but failed when Alexis reminded her that Jo and Roy were riding along. She gave her daughter her keys and sat in the passenger seat watching Alexis as she started the car.

"Mom, why is Lex driving? Why aren't you driving?" Roy asked his mother as he made sure his sister was safe in her car seat. There was a silent in which no one answered the question.

"Because I don't want to drive and Lex can drive and volunteered to take you guys to Grandpa's" Kate explained as she checked if the kids were sitting properly with their seatbelt on.

"But, you don't let daddy drive" Her six-year-old reasoned, sometimes the kid was too smart for his own good.

"And…?" Alexis jumped in, trying to reason with her brother.

"Why are _you_ driving, I want to drive too, and tell dad that mom let me drive the car before him" He told her sister which cause the two women to roll their eyes. There was no way this kid wasn't Richard Castle's son.

"Roy you can't drive" His sister informed her from the back seat; he turned his head to look to Jo.

"Why I can't drive?" He crossed his arms across his chest.

"Roy, why can't I drive, the verb goes first buddy" Alexis corrected him.

"Because you don't have a license" His mother looked back at him.

"And where can I get one of those?"

"You ask Santa for one, he can give you everything" Jo answered the question.

"I don't think Santa can give you a license" Alexis pointed out

"Yeees he can, daddy telled me" Jo defended herself.

"Of course he did" Kate muttered rolling her eyes as she watched the pedestrians on the street.

"You need to be older to drive" Alexis informed her siblings.

"Like Sarah Grace?" Jo asked her sister.

"You have to be 16" She said. The conversation dropped to an end.

Alexis was trying to park the car when Kate snapped out of her thoughts. She was on cloud nine at the moment. So she told her to stay in the car while she dropped the kids at Jim's. On the way up, she turned to the kids and in hushed tones started to talk with them.

"So, do you have the camera Roy?" He pulled out the camera from his backpack.

"We have to find the bottles that smell funny, like spies so Pa doesn't know anything" He explained the plan to Jo.

"That is, good job monster" She congratulated her brother.

They made their way up to the door, she knocked three times and Jim opened the door. He was wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. Jo launched herself at her grandpa and Roy waited patiently to hug him, the kids ran inside so they could unpack and get ready for dinner. Meanwhile, Jim hugged Alexis and asked her if something was wrong.

"Don't worry Jim, we'll tell you in the morning when you bring them home, just enjoy the day" She assured him.

"If you guys don't mind, I'll take Jo and Roy to lunch to that place near the park and bring them home in the afternoon" He suggested.

Alexis accepted the offer knowing the time it was going to take to sort out everything at home. As she made her way to the car, she spotted a place to talk. And when she got to the car, instead of getting in, she knocked in Kate's window and told her to get out.

When they enter, the place was empty. They order two chocolate ice-creams and sat in a table. Kate checked her phone; she had a text from Rick saying that he had already called Jim.

"So, how are you holding up?" Alexis asked her digging her spoon in the chocolate.

"Not really good. I never thought that I would see her again. When she was murdered, after I accepted it I used to try to make deals with God in order to have her back. Then, as time went on I realized that no matter what I did, she was never coming back. And now I don't know what to think, the thing that most scare me is that I don't remember her. I mean I remember _her_, I don't remember what we used to talk about, what we used to cook or even how she liked her coffee. And seeing her at home made me realize how much I forgot about her. I used to know everything about her, I was the one who knew just by a look knew if she had a good or bad day, and now I don't know anything about her." She explained with tears on her face.

"But she is still your mom, she is still the person you remember" She assured her.

"Is she? And what if she isn't, what if she's changed so much that I don't know her?"

"Mom, you're thinking way too much about this. Even if she's changed, she will remember you. You can't give up on her just because you're afraid that she's changed" She reasoned taking a spoon-full of ice-cream.

"But she doesn't know me anymore, I'm no longer 19. I have a family of my own which she didn't know about, and above all I have moved on. I no longer miss her as much as I did before we arrested Bracken"

"Mom, do you remember the first time I called you mom?" She asked.

"Yes, you were having hot chocolate at 3 in the morning. I asked you what was wrong and you told me that you were so lost at class that you were considering dropping out of college" She smiled at the memory.

"Yeah, you remember what you told me?" She asked.

"I told you that you only fail when you give up, and you took my advice"

"So don't give up on her, she deserves a chance, just like dad gave you a second chance after you got shot and you lied to him. Now look at you, you are married and have three kids together. You should give her a chance, and if it doesn't work out, then we will sort it out as a family. But it's you decision to make" She said finishing her ice-cream.

"God, I don't get why you're so mature having a nine-year-old in a sugar rush as a father. I guess you're right, but I'll have to think about it and talk with your dad. You are ok if I decide to give her a chance right?" She asked.

"Mom, I'm ok with that. I really hope that this work out. Because after we all have been through I think we deserve it. Maybe dad was right, the universe likes you guys together" She said giggling as she saw her mother roll her eyes.

"Please don't start with that, with three kids I have enough I don't need to put up with another one. Ok, but I can't deal with her right now. I'm not ready, maybe tomorrow. Jo and Roy will be home in the morning right?"  
"Right, about that, he's taking them to lunch, he said he owned them lunch or something. He will drop them in the afternoon" She got up of the booth and threw away her empty cup, waiting for Kate to drop hers.

As they got in the car, they dialed Rick; he picked it up at the second tone.

"Hey, at what time will you get home?" He asked at the end of the line.

"Um… we'll be there in twenty minutes max, did you take out the cookies?" Alexis asked her father as she remembered they had left the cookies in the oven right before Johanna rang the bell.

"Yes, I took them out, they weren't burned. Kate you there?" He asked.

"Yeah, is she still there?" She asked hoping that her mother wasn't in the house.

"She's staying over in the guest room, she is in the room now so I assume that by the time you get there dinner will be ready."

"We went for ice-cream, but we'll make space for supper" Alexis told her father "Is Johanna having dinner with us?" She asked looking at her mother who wasn't in any state to talk with her mother.

"I guess, if that's ok with Kate"

"Yeah, we need to talk to her" And that was the end of the conversation.

They got home twenty minutes later; Rick welcomed them with a hug for Alexis who then made her way to the kitchen to entertain Johanna who was feeling like the elephant in the room.

They leaned in the counter, making small talk and watching the two adults in the doorway. Rick greeted her with a hug, kissing her forehead.

"You know, you don't need to talk to her, you can just sit and say nothing while we speak to her or you can just go to bed and I'll bring you dinner. Whatever you want Kate. I'm here for you" He said looking at her in the eyes.

"I love you, I don't know what would I do without you babe. Thank you" She said leaning in and giving him a peck in the lips. He wrapped her with his arms, and let her head fall on his shoulder. He leaned so that she could hear him.

"I love you too Kate, always" He let her go and slipped his fingers through hers.

They made her way towards the kitchen, hands intertwined. They were going to have one of the most difficult dinners they had have in a long time, but they were going to face it like they always did. As a family.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Castle. I only own Jo and Roy.**

They all sat in the table, Alexis in front of her father and Kate in front of her mother. There was an uncomfortable silence that no one dared to break. Alexis had her eyes fixed on her mother who was sitting next to her husband who also had his eyed on Johanna. Seeing that it wasn't anywhere, Alexis cleared her throat and the three adults started moving. It was Johanna who broke the silence.

"So, how long have you married?" She asked looking at Kate for an answer.

"We married seven years ago, although we had been dating a year before he proposed. And Roy came a year after our wedding." She explained looking at the wedding band on her finger.

"How did you two meet?"

"Some creepy guy was imitating my murders and Detective Beckett here, needed help with the case. During that first case together she fell in love with me and-

He was interrupted by his wife choking on water. She looked at his daughter and she rolled her eyes like Kate did every time he got on her nerves. He then looked at his wife who was rolling her eyes.

"That isn't how it happened Castle! I didn't fall in love with you at our first case." She was giving him the _look._

"Yes, and you know it! You were so madly in love with me that you couldn't get away from me"

"First of all, at that time you were a total jackass, you drove me insane with your childish behavior, _you_ were the one who convinced the mayor to give you permission to follow me around. And last of all, I didn't ask for your help I _arrested _you." She said trying to maintain a straight face while he was giving her the puppy eyes.

"Anyway, I started to follow her around which turned out to be very fun, and I got to know Kate, the real Kate. She inspired me to write again, and I based my new character on her."  
"You missed out the part in which you gave my character a stripper name. And all of the times you used my work as a way of getting women to look at you."

"That is so not true, I have never done that"

"Selena Kyle" Kate asked looking at Alexis grinning.

"Sophia Turner" Added Alexis.

"Kyra" Kate named.

"The one with the bikini collection" Alexis chimed in.

"Ok, you got me. But now I wouldn't do that I swear to you Johanna that I would never cheat on Kate" He said looking at his mother-in-law.

"Because if you did, I would shoot you" She said raising an eyebrow.

"And I know how to make a corpse unrecognizable" Alexis helped Kate.

"Anyone want water? Because I'm thirsty. Johanna?" He asked his mother-in-law-

Then, there was an uncomfortable silence again. Everyone in the room knew what question was going to be asked next.

"Why didn't you come back?" Kate asked her mother. Rick grabbed her hand on the table and squeezed it to let her know that he was there with her.

"I couldn't Katie. I spent two months after that night in a room where they treated my wounds; I didn't know where I was or even what had happened. And they didn't tell me a thing. After I recovered I went to see you but they didn't let me go." Johanna tried to explain.

"Really?" Kate said raising her voice. "And after those two months? You had a lot of time to at least try. But you didn't because _they_ didn't let you; you know that it is a lie to hide your fear of coming back, of changing things. But let me tell you mom; after your death, dad turned to the bottle I used to go to work to bring the money home, I was the adult in the house. I spent two years trying to sober dad up but I couldn't. I gave up my dreams and drop out of college to find the one responsible for your murder and you are here. Do you have any idea of what I've gone through?" Kate asked this time screaming and with tears in her face.

"Katie I didn't know that, I…" Johanna tried to talk to her but failed.

"No, you didn't know that because you were gone, you left us. And I completely fell apart; it took me _years_ to finally be fine about it, to have a chance at being happy and here you are once again breaking me apart. So no mom, you didn't know." She said, and then she stormed out of the room.

Johanna looked at Rick who went to see if Kate was ok, excusing himself and leaving Alexis and Johanna alone.

"I'm sorry for everything. I should go, I've caused enough problems for one night." She said standing up.

"You don't have to, she'll come around eventually. She does that sometimes; she runs from the problems which are too big for her. But she always faces them. I remember one time, she hid in her dad's cabin for the summer, and that broke dad's heart. So, stay put and wait for her to come to you, don't pressure her into forgiving you because she will shut you down." Alexis explained, grabbing the dishes and loading the dishwasher.

"Can I ask you a question?" Johanna asked.

"Yes, of course." Alexis nodded with her head.

"She isn't your biological mother, is she?"

"No, my biological mother was dad's first wife, but she is more of a crazy aunt than a mother. She lives in California living her life, she calls on my birthday and we talk every two weeks but she is not here as Kate is. When Dad met Mom, I was a teenager and as the time went by and I started to see her around more, I started to ask her about advice and she was there. So when they married, she knew that she was in the family and we all knew that she was more of a mom to me than Meredith was. Don't get me wrong I love Meredith, she is my mother but she isn't my mom. My mom is Kate and so I began calling her mom because it would be easier and the babies wouldn't be confused. Eventually she adopted me, as much as you can adopt a grown-up woman but she did." Alexis explained to Johanna, as she made her way to the stairs she waited for the other woman to follow her.

They stopped at the second room; Alexis opened the door to reveal a spare room Johanna could use. She told her where the bathroom was and which clothes she could use. So as Johanna entered the room she closed the door to give her some privacy and went to the kitchen again. She made her way to the master bedroom with ice-cream and three spoons. She didn't knock, just entered and sat on the bed where the other two adults were. She offered a spoon to each of them and they began eating ice-cream for the second time in that day.

"So, here's what I have planned for tomorrow: I will go to the precinct with Johanna, so we'll explain to the Captain why you're not going to work tomorrow, you will stay at home with dad so when Jim comes you can explain everything to him. Then; Johanna and I will come home and Dad, Jo, Roy and I will leave so you three can sort everything out." She explained as she looked from her mother to her father.

"Where did you become so smart Pumpkin?" His father offered a smile to his daughter and collecting all of the spoons from the ice-cream he got up and went to the kitchen.

"Thank you, I don't know what we would do without you Alexis" Kate said with tears still in her eyes.

Alexis enveloped her mother in a hug and said soothing words to her. They were so focused on each other that they didn't even acknowledge Rick leaning on the doorway with a smile on his face. They were a family after all, even if they weren't related by blood. In that instant, he thanked the killer who got everything started, because even as creepy as it was, he couldn't have met his wife if this killer hadn't kill anyone.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything, just Roy and Jo, the rest belongs to ABC and Andrew Marlowe. This chapter contains spoilers of the new episode Reckoning. **

**AU: I'm so sorry it has taken me so long to get this done, my father was using the computer I'm using now so I couldn't use it. **

**...**

Johanna woke up to someone knocking the door. When she opened her eyes, she saw a room not familiar to her. "Breakfast is ready" said the person outside the door. Then it was when it hit her, she was in her daughter's house, and it was her granddaughter calling to her. Alexis had told her of their plans the day before, when she bid her goodbye. They were going to Katie's workplace, to see her boss and explain everything to her. The only thing she knew about Katie's work was that she was a homicide detective as they had informed her during dinner.

She got up and opened the door, catching a glimpse of red hair descending the stairs. As she made her way to the kitchen, she looked at the framed pictures of them; she had seen them when Rick had taken her for a tour of the house. Now she knew all about the pictures, when were they taken, where and how it happened. Alexis was waiting for her in the kitchen. She sat on one of the barstools around the kitchen island, Alexis was right in front of her. She had prepared pancakes, just like Kate sometimes did to her. She smiled thinking of all the times she had been woken up to her daughter with pancakes for her.

"Dad is up and working in his office, Mom is still sleeping. They do that sometimes. You know? Mom is usually the one who's up earlier, doing paperwork. So when Dad wakes up he fixes them coffee and goes to his office to bring her here. Mom makes pancakes, while Dad sets the table. When Dad is done, he wakes me up or just knocks on my door to let me know that breakfast is ready. I go and wake up the kids and we have breakfast. We only do that on weekends, and sometimes the roles are reserved. Jo and Roy love to cook, well… more like help cooking and then wake them up with breakfast on bed." She informed her of their morning routine of weekend.

It was hard to think about her daughter being a mother, and a wife; being so domestic. It seemed as it was yesterday when she left them, and Katie was only 19 at the time. Now she was a married woman, with three kids and a stable job. Her Katie, the one she kept thinking of, was this young woman whom her friends referred to as Rebel Becks. Her Katie was someone who had yet to discover, whereas the Katie she was today, had seen so many things, had done so many things. And she missed it all.

"Well, I'm gonna go and dress, while you finish eating. I will lend you some clothes of Grams and then we will go to see Captain Gates.

…**...**

Alexis, was ready five minutes earlier than Johanna. She knocked on his father's office.

"Come on in" Her dad told her. He was typing away on his laptop, still on his pajamas.

"How's she doing?" She asked him, he only shook his head.

She then ventured in the master bedroom. She wasn't sleeping, she had her eyes open, but she wasn't saying a word. In all the years she's known her, even when she knew her as Detective Beckett, she always said good morning or acknowledged her presence.

"Mom?" She asked the woman laying on the left side of the bed. Seeing she wasn't answering, she changed the name. "Kate?"

"Alexis? What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be in class?" She asked not looking at her.

"Kate, do you remember what happened yesterday?" She asked, now worried about how she was coping with everything.

"How could I forget?" She said. There was a pause. "I killed Kelly Nieman with a scalpel. I didn't hesitate at all. I didn't even look at her I just did it." She said, earning a shock gaze from her daughter. "You didn't know that, did you?" She said as she went back to sleep.

Alexis went to the office, she found her father talking to Johanna. She wondered if the universe was punishing her, if the universe didn't want her to have a normal and simple life. She couldn't say it out loud, not with Kate's mother here. She didn't want her to know what her mother had gone through because of her work or because of her relationship with her father. Johanna was the first one to notice her. She was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt, a habit she had picked up watching Roy do it. Johanna, elbowed her son-in-law and they stopped talking.

"Alexis, what's wrong?" Rick asked his daughter, concerned about her state just after seeing his wife.

"It's Mom… she…" She couldn't continue, she could feel a lump in her throat.

"Alexis, sweetheart, what is it?" He asked his daughter again, enveloping her in his arms as she started crying.

"She doesn't remember Daddy; she thinks it was yesterday when you guys came home. She told me about Kelly Nieman and how she killed her with a scalpel. You have to do something Daddy." She used his nickname, the one she used in her childhood, the one Jo uses.

"Ok, I'll go talk to her and call Dr. Burke; meanwhile you wash your face and get Johanna to the precinct. Tell Gates everything."He said, letting his daughter go and heading to their bedroom.

…

She approached the main office of the homicide department with Johanna Beckett hot on her heels. All heads turned to look at her. Even though it was Wednesday, there were a lot of officers or detectives shuffling around. She knocked on the door. The woman inside opened the door herself and let them in. She had noticed Johanna and immediately had recognized her. They entered the office while the captain made her way to the other side calling out to the two detectives trying to eavesdrop.

"Detectives Ryan and Esposito, continue with your paperwork." She said, now closing the door.

Alexis took a seat, and ushered Johanna to do the same.

"Good morning, I'm Captain Gates." She said shaking Johanna's hand.

"I'm Johanna Beckett, pleased to meet you. You are Katie's boss aren't you?" She asked, it was more curiosity about her daughter's life than actual interest in the woman's work.

"Indeed. Alexis," She turned her head towards the young woman sitting in front of her "make sure your mother is well enough to come to work when the time comes, and if she thinks is needed, she can bring Mr. Castle here for a couple of days." She said.

"Captain, why isn't my mother's plate on her desk?" She asked, it was weird not to see Det. Castle on her desk, more when it took her weeks to agree to the name change at work too.

It had been his birthday present for him after they had Roy and Jo. Kate had called Rick to get the kids (Alexis included) to the precinct so they could go to Remy's to celebrate. He had freaked out when he saw it, Kate had explained to him that now she was a Castle, that it was time to take it to the workplace. She had given her old plate to Jim, so that he could remember how her life had changed since she entered the Police Academy years ago.

"She didn't tell you, did she?" She shook her head, and opened a drawer. She took a plate and handed it to Alexis. "She was promoted last month to Lieutenant, it took a long time for her to accept the promotion, but she did. She was waiting to tell you, she begged everyone who works here not to tell any of you, including Mr. Castle. But due to the case she worked on last month, the D.A. thought that it was time to promote her. She accepted, with some conditions which I'm sure she will be happy to tell you about. Anyhow, I need you to give her this. So when she comes, she can place it on her desk."She said pointing at the plate. Lt. Castle was printed on white letters just as Det. Beckett had been there.

"Now, that we had that done. Let's talk about you, Johanna. How is that you are here?" She asked, now being the captain that she was.

"I was stabbed that night in that alley. They had been planning on kidnapping me months ago. They saw the chance to do that when I was in that alley; they took me away and placed another body with facial surgery so she looked like me. I didn't know where I was or who I was with, but they took me somewhere to take care of me. They called doctors and all kinds of specialist to make me forget who I was. It worked… The only reason why I went to see Katie yesterday was that I remembered somehow. They… gave me a life, even though everything was faked. They made me think I was another person. I didn't know who they were but they would be present in my life." She paused a moment, to let everything sink in. "They were the neighbors, the doorman, the hairstylist, the annoying girl who kept offering things in the supermarket. I didn't think any of that could be fake, it was my life for God knows how long, until I saw her on TV. I loved Richard Castle and they didn't take that away because they didn't know. I only wanted to see him, my favorite author on the premiere of the new movie of his books…" She explained.

"And you saw her." The captain concluded, the detective had asked her for a day off, seeing how rare of Kate that was, she asked her why. She told her Castle wanted to bring her along, he told her that she needed something to take her mind of work, and she _agreed_ with Mr. Castle. She had surprised herself, when she had allowed her to go, maybe not as much as the detective who hoped to get away from the outing by _having_ to go to work.

"Yes, I did. At first, when the cameramen zoomed at him, he was alone. But you could see the wedding band on his left hand. I didn't know he was married, I only read his books. Then, this woman with curly brown hair in this gorgeous dress came to his side. She kissed his cheek and laughed at what the interviewer asked. I saw the huge engagement ring on her finger, the wedding band on her left hand. I knew by then that she was Richard Castle's wife, I had been thinking of her as a bimbo or something like that. I then repaired on her, she was beautiful, stunning even. She had that smile on her face that wouldn't go away and it was _my_ smile. She had my eyes too and the movements she did unintentionally were mine too. She was mine."She took a minute to calm herself down.

It had been one of the most frustrating things she had endured in her life, to find out that she had a daughter just because said daughter was married to her favorite author. She wasn't one to cry, she kept herself together, and she considered herself to be a strong woman. But even the strongest people on the planet have weaknesses. And that woman was hers. She had broken down to heartthrobs sobs, she had cried herself to sleep that night.

"The next morning I made the decision to go and see her. I kept everyone on the loop, saying I had a doctor appointment. I had to believe it to make everyone believe it too and that's what I did." She was about to continue when Alexis's phone rang.

"Dad? Is something wrong?" She asked, going out of the room so that they couldn't hear.

"Pumpkin, your mother's in shock, she doesn't remember anything of the last seven years. I need you here. You can't bring Johanna, leave her with Ryan and Espo" He begged her.

She went to the office and explained everything to Gates, who nodded and told her not to worry about Johanna, she would make sure that nothing would happen to her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything; I'm just having fun writing this. **

**AU: This chapter contains spoiler of the episode "The Wrong Stuff", so you may want to watch that first.**

…

Just as the door was closed and Alexis and Johanna were out of earshot, he went to their room and found her staring at the ceiling. She heard him coming, but she couldn't bring herself to utter any words. Her mind was somewhere else. She had dreamed about the night before, how she used the scalpel to survive. He had found her there; her mind was as it was now: a freaking mess. She had suffered a lot through all the years, and he had been there with her all along. She only shifted her eyes to look at him when he sat on the bed beside her. She had been staring at the wall, she couldn't close her eyes; she saw her every time she closed her eyes. She had been the one to kill her, the last one who saw her alive and the first one to see her dead. She flinched when he touched her, but he kept her hand rubbing her shoulder.

"What's on your mind Kate?" He asked.

"I killed her Rick, I watched her bled to death and I was the one who did that. Do you have any idea how hard is for me to think that I did that? That I'm not in jail? I can't take this Castle. I… just can't." That was it. He got up and called Dr. Burke.

…

He had two appointments that morning, it was a Wednesday and he had a long day ahead of him. He got out of bed and dressed to go to work. Sometimes, he wondered why he did it. He was a man of words and he talked for a leaving. He had had the most disturbing cases of all New York. Mrs. Wilson, who had lost her husband not more than a year ago and still talked to him. In fact, in her session he had two chairs so Bill could sit. She even addressed him and expected him to talk to her deceased husband; he played along as not to disturb her. Then, there was Charlie who had been bullied and had taken matters in his own hands. They had sorted out through his feelings and had managed to make a list of things he could do to reduce stress. He had Mrs. Wilson as his first appointment, but he called his assistant to tell her that he had an emergency. And that was why he was outside Richard Castle's door.

He answered with a fake smile to make him feel at ease. He was really worried, he could see the signs of it by looking at his face, he was frowning without knowing, he was shaking his hands and he wasn't too focused on the man in front of him, because his eyes diverted to the room with the door closed.

"Dr. Burke, thanks for coming. We really appreciate this." He said, walking him to the room where his wife was laying.

"How is she?"

"She is in shock; she keeps going back to 2015. I don't know what to tell her. She is not alone anymore; Roy and Jo are going to wonder why they are with Jim and not in school. I literally have no idea what to make out of this." He knew how stressed the man was by the way he was talking.

"Why don't you take a walk while I talk to her?" He offered to let him wander and ease his mind into what was coming. He got a nod out of him and watched the author get out of the house.

He went to the master bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Rick, is that you?"

"No Kate, it's Dr. Burke, your husband called me and told me you needed to talk. Can I come in?" He asked and waited a minute until he heard her got up and opened the door for him to come in.

Once inside the room, she lead him to Rick's office, where she sat on his chair and he took a seat on one of the chairs in front of the desk. He looked at her and she took a deep breath.

"Why am I here?"

"Because Rick wanted you to talk to me."

"Kate, what year are we in?"

"2015, February"

"Kate, that was almost eight years ago. You came to me after you killed her. You told me everything about that, I know how you felt, you felt sick of yourself. Kate you got through it, Rick helped you and Alexis and Martha. They were all here for you. The nightmares faded over time, still you have one once in a while but you have your family now. When you came to me that week, the situation was different than when you came after the shooting. You had family that time and you have them now. Now, I want to look around this room and look for clues as you do every day and once you find them I want you to tell me why and how you think it s important. I'm not moving, if it's too much you tell me and we'll stop." She got up and started investigating the room.

There were a lot of book she didn't remember when they were written. The Nikki Heat series had grown over the years. There were three new book on the self, next to the books she had grown with and cherished like her mother had done years ago. They were all lined up in order of release dates: Heat Wave, Naked Heat, Heat Rises, Frozen Heat, Deadly Heat, Raging Heat, Searing Heat and Blistering Heat. She took the two last books of the series and read the dedications.

_To Roy Alexander, _

_Who taught me how to be brave._

She looked at the date of the book. February 2016. She closed the book and placed it next to Raging Heat. She flipped open the last book.

_To Johanna Martha,_

_Who keeps me young._

The book was published on October of 2018. She placed it on the shelf and began looking for new clues. She opened the drawers of his desk. There were papers scattered with numbers and words. She then looked to the desk. His laptop was in the middle, there was a framed picture of her and Rick; he was hugging her from behind, with his chin resting on her shoulders and his hands on her waist. The other one was larger; Alexis sat in the middle, with two children resting on her. The little girl of three or four had blue eyes and a smile similar to her mothers, the boy of six or seven was looking at the camera, and she recognized her eyes on him. They were hers, they were her children. She had forgotten her children.

It all came back to her. She sat down again and leaned back on the chair, she took deep breaths to try to calm herself down but she couldn't. She kept thinking of how easy she had forgotten the kids she had loved from day one. She hadn't been able to recognize the names of the dedication. She noticed tears running down her checks, she didn't care who was in the room with her. All she cared id that she had shut everyone out because she hadn't been able to maintain control of her life when her mother had crushed into her life all of a sudden. She heard him talk to her but she wouldn't listen. She was supposed to be a mother, not the afraid detective who shut everyone out she once was.

Dr. Burke saw as it dawned on her how she had responded to the news of what her mind had done to block the pressure. He remembered then, how Mrs. Wilson kept talking to her deceased husband on his sessions. He had seen the woman in front of him after her shooting, after she had almost died when she stepped on a bomb, when she went undercover, when she arrested Senator Bracken and when she had confessed to him what went through her mind as she was killing Dr. Nieman with a scalpel. But this was new, the state of isolation she thought she was in, was scary, she kept mumbling things over and over, always the same names. He tried to reach for her, but she jerked away and stared at him. Her eyes burned through his, he had been informed of this side of her, the side of her Rick had told him about in one of their secret sessions. She had turned into a cold blooded killer when she did what had to be done to survive. She hadn't have an attack in years, he had told him of the attack she had one night when she heard noises and got up from bed, gun in hand and positioned herself behind her daughter and placed the gun over Alexis's head.

"Kate, listen to me. You just recovered from a shock. It is okay to feel like this. Now, you didn't forget them, you weren't yourself. Your mind was acting based on the news you received last night. Rick is coming now. He is fine, the kids are fine they are with your dad, and Alexis is in the precinct. Kate, it is fine to feel like this." He tried to calm her down without success. He waited until she took a seat and sent a quick text to Rick.

"Kate, tell me what you're feeling now."Dr. Burke, sat upright on his chair.

"I feel ashamed, I feel as if I failed as a mother and wife. All because she came back and I wasn't ready to accept that possibility. Because after everything I have done to move on, is all worthless. When I think about it, it's really twisted. I met Rick because I am cop and I am cop because I gave up on my dreams. I gave up on my dreams because she died and Dad didn't took it well. I did the exact same thing he did, I shut the world out, I built the walls again because I'm afraid."

"What are you afraid of, Kate?"

"That I will never recover from this that I'm always going to be like this. I'm afraid of everyone leaving me because of what I do. I run when there is a problem I can't solve, it is what I do."

"Are you going to run Kate?"

"No" She said shaking her head.

"The problem it's not that you are afraid you are going to run. You are afraid that someday, everyone will leave you because they think you're going to run away. That is not going to happen. You have a family now, you have Rick, Alexis, Roy and Jo to take care of. And they are going to take care of you if you ever think of running away. You think that your mother is going to turn your world upside down and take everything away as she did when she was stabbed. Your mother wants a second chance, just like your father when he asked you for help. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"And what if I'm right?"

"You don't really think she's capable of doing such a thing to you. She may have disappeared for a long time, but she still loves you. She came back because of you. Lean on your family Kate, they are willing to help in everything they can. Talk to them before you talk to her. Talk to your father and your friends, ask them for advice and then decide. Don't dwell too much on it, just sort things out and once you have made a decision, call me and tell me whatever you need to tell me."He said.

They stared at each other; Kate looked at the picture of her kids. She got up as she heard the door open. She heard his footsteps approaching the office. Over the years, she had discovered everything about him. She had stayed true to their vows, even though she thought she knew everything about him, she didn't. It all had come to her one night when he had told her about his days in middle school and how he had struggled to find friends. They had been each other's rock, they knew almost everything. She had grown familiar with everyone's footsteps, Rick's were solid and sometimes fast, Alexis's were softer and faster. It surprised her how much had changed because of him. She was now a mother of three, married, with a stable job, a house, and she had friends. She had dreamed about this when she was younger, never realizing how good it felt. It felt right and she was ready to fight for her new life, even if it came to talking to her mother to sort things out. She would do it without a doubt.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything of this, just the storyline and Jo and Roy.**

**AN: So it's official I'm going to college next year, luckily for you guys, it leaves my summer without a thing to do except relaxing and writing.**

…

Rick saw Dr. Burke heading out once he came home. He knew the state Kate was in. It had happened before and he remembered it as if it had been yesterday.

_She woke up when she heard the noises coming from the main door. She slowly removed herself from Rick, throwing his arm on the bed. She sneaked out of the bedroom and entered in the bathroom. She opened the drawer and removed the contents, opened the secret compartment and took out her gun removing the safe. She crept into the kitchen and fixed her view on the stranger in the room. She crouched behind a counter so that the burglar didn't notice her presence. Then, in a rapid movement, once the burglar passed by her she got up, placed her gun on his head and kept her pose. She heard Rick coming to assist her, she had it under control. When Rick came into view, she saw his face; there was a terror in his eyes she had never seen in them, not after all those years together._

_ "Kate, what are you doing?" He asked._

_ "I got him Castle; he was trying to kill me because of her."_

_ "What are you talking about Kate?" His voice was hurried._

_ "Tyson, I'm holding my gun to his head. He came here because I killed her, because I killed Nieman." She explained herself._

_ "Kate, that's not Nieman, that's Alexis" Rick pleaded some sense into her._

_ "No, Alexis is in the campus, she had a girl's night tonight with her friends at college." She reasoned._

_ "Kate, that was six years ago. You're holding your daughter at gun point. Drop the gun Beckett, you don't want to do this." When she didn't respond, he tried other technique. "Detective Beckett, drop your weapon, the threat has been dealt with" He said in the tone he knew she would respond to. _

_The detective responded to the order as if her life depended on it. She dropped the gun to the floor and stood still while her daughter went to her father and hugged him. She came to her senses and realizing the depth of what she had done, she picked up the gun and left it on the counter. She went to the hall, took out her trench coat and fled the scene. She drove her old car for twenty minutes; she then came to a stop. She parked the car and waited the call she knew would come. But it hadn't been her husband or her daughter, but Dr. Burke._

He entered the study and found her sitting on his chair, going through his laptop. He knew she was the one who read his stuff and checked for spelling and grammar errors. But he never had seen in doing it, she usually did it when she couldn't sleep, it calmed her down. He could see himself trying to write some more, and finding the note she wrote to him after going through the pages: _Change the sex scene of the last chapter; don't want Lanie to read that. Also, make sure Jo gets her checkup she didn't get it last month, don't give them candy after going to the dentist. _But he knew she wasn't reading his draft. She would be reading with a glass of water if that were the case. He went to check on his wife to see what was she doing. She was searching through the internet, just typing hers and her mother's name. He watched her do it: she typed Johanna Beckett on Google and waited for the results to appear. "Senator Bracken arrested by Detective Beckett, charged with the murder of Johanna Beckett." And a few other entries detailing the murder. She then typed her own name: "Detective Beckett, Richard Castle's new muse", "Novelist Richard Castle to marry Detective Katherine Beckett."She changed the last name from Beckett to Castle and heard the snort of her husband behind her. "Detective Castle supposedly pregnant with Richard Castle's baby", "Richard Castle attended to the premiere of Searing Heat with heavily pregnant Det. Castle" And so on narrating the rumors of another pregnancy and the impending death of Nikki Heat's adventures.

"Wanna tell me what's on that head of yours?" He asked her, as she closed the laptop.

"Babe, we need to talk." She said simply.

He knew it was going to be a hard conversation, Kate was stubborn which in occasions, lead to an impending disagreement in certain topics. But they always found the right thing to do, well not always, he reminded himself. They went to the living room and sat in the couch.

"So, I need to decide whether I want my mother to become a part of my family. To be a part of the family we created. And I don't know what to do Rick, I have no idea." She pleaded for him for an answer but she had left him speechless.

"Kate, I think you need another perspective, a perspective from someone who has been on your position or on a similar one. Kate, your eldest daughter was terrified for a month because her mother pointed a gun to her head. But she forgave you, and I really think you should ask her for advice." He said taking out his phone and dialing his daughter's number.

"How is she? Has she remembered anything?" His daughter asked.

"Yeah, she's quite upset, how far are you?"He asked knowing she had left ten minutes before.

"Um… I'll be there in about twenty minutes"

"Just make sure to come here." He got up and went to the kitchen so Kate wasn't in earshot. "Did anything about her story made sense?"

"I… really want to believe her, but she kept saying they and them without giving us a proper name. She's still talking to the captain but I managed to get Espo and Ryan to check out her version of events."He could hear her talking to the cab driver. "So far, they haven't seen a thing in her supposed record. Dad, they gave her a new name and a new life. Whoever they are, they're really powerful." Her voice was mixed with fear and alarm.

"Alexis. I need you to keep calm and to keep all of this from your mother. Once she has decided and when everything's settled, we tell her. Not before. This has been a big shock to her and she needs us, she can't be chasing whoever it is that's behind all of this. And we both know that's going to happen once she finds out what we know so don't mention a word to her." He instructed knowing very well this was going to cost him some time on the couch.

…**.**

Alexis came back to the closed office; she informed the captain of the situation at home and excused herself to talk with the two detectives to make sure they knew what they were getting themselves into. Once they agreed to call her or Castle in case anything came up, she waited for the elevator. A man wearing a black suit was already standing in front of the closed doors. She hadn't seen him in the floor before, his face had a cold and stern feel and his green eyes made her shiver, his hands were in his pockets and when they looked at each other, he offered her a forced smile. She tried to stay calm and not panic at the fact that he had no badge but a gun attached to the hip. Then, the elevator arrived and they entered. The doors were about to close when a hand made them open again and Espo stepped into the elevator without acknowledging Alexis. They all exited the elevator at the same time and when she got to the street, she hailed a cab and got inside. Noticing Espo faking tying his shoes as to get a glimpse of the license plate of the car the strange man had gotten into.

She answered the phone when her father called her and told him about her suspicions of Johanna's alibi. She promised the driver some extra cash which led the cab accelerate. She knew there was something amiss in Johanna, nobody died and then returned to the living. It was something she was really sure of, because she had feared for her father's life countless times and because she knew her life had been shaped by that fact. Her family earned a living thanks to the fact that people got murdered as tragic as it may sound. Then there was the thing about blaming them, she could picture her father narrating his new book with a similar storyline and her mother rolling her eyes at him at his senseless argument. Because it sounded like something her father would make up for one of his books, and not like a serious alibi for someone who had died years before.

…

The door of the loft opened too¡ reveal a red head entering the house. She made sure to take off her shoes and shut her phone so her mother wouldn't take a look at it. When she got to the living room, her father kissed her on the forehead and exited the loft, leaving them alone.

"Mom?" She addressed the woman on the couch, weary of the situation presented that morning.

"Hey Lexi" She only called her like that when the kids were around or when any of them was upset or having a bad day. She often heard that name whenever they were praising her. "Come sit with me"

"So… what's on your mind?"

"First of all, you have to know I didn't mean a thing of what I said this morning. It just became too much for me to handle and I guess my brain did what it was needed to somehow survive the situation. And I'm deeply sorry of how I reacted to you this morning; you know how much I love you and how much it means to me that you call me Mom." The lieutenant explained and after receiving a nod from the younger woman, she kept talking. "I need to decide whether I want my mother to become a part of my life and consequently of your father's, yours and your siblings' and I don't know how to forgive what she did. I know it wasn't her fault to get stabbed but she could've called or just sent a letter or a text saying she was alive"

"Mom, I don't think you're looking at it the right way. I think the one you have to forgive is yourself. When you found out she was alive, you blamed her because you didn't want to admit you had moved on. You had forgotten how it was to love her. You know; when you had that episode, I couldn't bring myself to forgive you because I didn't want to forgive myself for considering you unworthy of my love and I let that dictate my actions. You're right, she's supposed to be dead, and maybe she could've called before. But… what guarantees you that if you had known earlier that she was alive, things would have worked out the way they have?"

"I… I don't know what to say, what to do. I don't know what everyone is expecting me to do. I don't want to let anyone down." She ran her fingers through her hair. She began doing that once Roy was born and he had trouble sleeping.

"Well, you don't have to do what everyone expects you to do. You have to do whatever you think is the right thing to do. And whatever you decide, I can assure you that she's going to accept that." Alexis enveloped her mother in a hug and let her cry on her shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

**AN: Not sure how many chapters I'll post of this fic. Just writing them as the story develops. If you have any idea, just post a review. Again, I'm not a native speaker, but I do speak Spanish perfectly if you need anything to be translated. Songs I was listening while writing this: **_**Go Your Own Way **_**by Fleetwood Mac and **_**Let It Go **_**by James Bay.**

…

James Beckett had been in charge of his grandchildren a handful of times but this time was different. He knew his daughter and she had never done anything so rush as to change her mind twice a day. He didn't mind though, the kids were okay watching cartoons and learning about the time their mother had dyed her hair green in her teenage years because Johanna hadn't liked the idea and of course, Rebel Becks had to do it. Jo was ecstatic, always enjoying her time with her Grandpa. The little girl had found in her grandfather a good secret-keeper and had spelled almost everything she had done during her week. Like how she had taken Mandy's pink pencil or how Daddy and her had agreed to lie to Mom about the vase they had broke while playing pirates. Roy on the other hand, had taken a look at his mother's things when she was as young as him. The device Grandpa had told him to be a Game Boy had stolen most of his time. They were good kids in general, but when they noticed something amiss in their family they became what their mother used to call her husband: Two nine-year-olds on a sugar rush. So they had been hyper ever since Alexis had dropped them off. Except two hours of bliss while they were spilling secrets and playing with the Game Boy they had been jumping and shouting and singing. So Jim decided to take them to the park in the morning.

Jo had taken over the swings and was trying to push herself moving her legs up and down. Roy decided to help his sister and pushed the little girl who squealed in joy; Roy joined in the laugh and tried to push her sister further.

"Pop! Come here please!" The boy called out for him. He got up and motioned Roy to sit on the other swing and started pushing both of them. It never escaped him that he was pushing the swings in which his son-in-law had proposed to his daughter, where, time before, she had made up her mind to achieve a relationship with the writer. He laughed at the comments he had had thrown his way, apparently Roy had his father's humor much to his mother's dismay. After a while, his arms grew tired and so they moved to the slide which had been built some years before. Jo was the first one to ask for lunch, then Roy followed and before he knew it, they were dragging him through the street to a specific place. They opened the door and ran to the waitress who crouched so she was in their eye level.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here huh?" The waitress asked them

"To eat silly!" Jo giggled. "Beck, you havta meet Pop, he's my mommy's daddy." The little girl pointed to the man hovering over them.

"Hi, you must be Jim, if I'm correct. I'm Rebecca; I was a friend of Rick's back in high school." She handed her hand to him.

"Jim Beckett" He shook her hand and looked at his grandchildren. "Do you have a table for three?" He asked her. She nodded sweetly and led them to the usual table the kids sat at with their parents.

The kids ordered the usual and Jim ordered what Rebecca suggested to him. They ate while Roy recalled all the times they came to the restaurant and then proceeded to tell the funniest experiences which were usually with their uncles Javi and Kevin, aunty Lanie and Alexis involved. There had been a time in which Jenny showed up with Sarah Grace. After they ate, they went back to Jim's so they could rest and wait until they went back home. Jim was watching the interaction between his grandchildren, that he didn't notice the phone ringing.

"Pop, your phone's ringing" Roy pointed at his grandfather's pocket.

"Thanks Roy." He picked up the phone without checking the number. "Hello?" He asked.

"Hey Dad, how is your day?" He heard his daughter almost urgent tone and knew not to ask right away what was going on.

"We're having a good day, we went to the park and played with the swings, then they took me to this place you guys go to almost every day, and now we're heading back to my place until you guys pick them up." He watched as Roy elbowed his sister and brought his finger to his lips to silence her, and then they looked back at him to check if he had heard them. He stared right ahead not making eye contact with any of them.

"Would you mind taking a cab to our place to drop them off, and I'll get their stuff tomorrow on my way home." There was a pause and he could tell his daughter was trying hard not to tell him whatever it was that was going on. "Dad I'll tell you when you get here." She said goodbye to him and hung up the phone.

…

In barely half an hour they were waiting by the door, he had tried to get the information out of them but they didn't say a word about it, just changed the topic. He was now worried about the situation, Kate never talked to him on the phone while he was with the kids and didn't talk with them. And there were Rick and Alexis who hadn't talk him about the anniversary they were supposed to celebrate two days before. The door opened and the kids ran inside leaving Rick and Jim by the door.

"Good to see you Jim" He nodded at his son-in-law.

"Good to see you too, Rick. Can you please tell me what's going on?" He pleaded.

"I can't Jim, if I could I would, but this is something you need to hear from Kate. Please come in." They entered the loft and Rick closed the door behind him.

They entered the kitchen and saw Kate with the kids who were telling what they had done the day before, Roy looked into the pocket of his coat and took out the Game Boy. Kate smiled at him and looked at Jo who was poking her to gain her attention. She leaned in and Jo whispered something in her ear, she smiled sadly and looked at both of them who nodded. She was a good mother, patient and caring but strict when needed. She loved them with all her heart, the three of them and they loved her too. Jim had seen the joy in her eyes when she told him she was expecting their first child together, and he had been honored when they named her Johanna. He had assured them that just being their grandfather was enough, that they didn't have to name Roy after him, that they could name him Alexander instead of James. He had been really supportive of Kate and her decision of becoming Alexis's mother even though there was no need to make it official. He had seen the joy in her eyes when they came home to celebrate the change of names in Alexis's official papers. He had been to every school play they had had. Roy apparently had followed his Gram's footsteps regarding the performing arts.

"Ok, Dad let's go to your place so we can talk" She took her coat, her keys, her phone and kissed the kids goodbye. Rick walked them to the door and gave her a peck on the lips.

The plan was simple; she had to explain the situation to her father while Alexis went back to the 12th and dropped Johanna off at Jim's. Kate drove her Dad and it reminded her when he taught her how to drive, well when he made sure she wasn't a danger to the rest of the drivers, way back when she was 16. If only things could be so much easier for them but her mother had to come back from the death when everything was great, when she was happy.

"I got promoted to Lieutenant last week Dad, Alexis took the plate from my desk this morning and switched them." She smiled at him, because after all, she was her father and she wanted to make him proud of her.

"So, Lieutenant Beckett. I'm very proud of you Katie, I'm sure your mother would be too."

"Actually Dad, its Lieutenant Castle." She wished she didn't have to drop the bomb on him, she was still hoping he didn't freak out like she did. She feared for his health, because at the end, she was giving him a reason to start drinking again, and this time she had a family to take care of, she had children who came first to everyone.

"Katie, you know I love you, and there's nothing you can do that it can make me stop loving you. No matter how big this problem you got yourself into is." Then there was the awkward silence which both refused to break.

…

Jim opened the door to his apartment and invited Kate in. She had stopped coming here, when the kids were born, the random visits to his dad's had ceased, not that she didn't like it there, but because she had to look after the kids. Jim went to visit them sometimes, just like Martha and Alexis. They had become a team and a family, and it amazed him how two people who had been so any times risking their lives had decided to settle down and give more meaning to their lives.

"Okay Dad, take a sit." Once they were sitting on the couch she broke the news to him. "Dad, the other day, someone paid us a visit. It was Mom, she came back." She really wanted her father to believe, so she could get some closure with the feeling of having her mother back after all those years.

"Katie I know that you miss her, I miss her too but you can't go around making stuff up, that's what your husband does." He didn't even think Katie did believe it herself; his daughter was really thick at believing things out of reason. "Katherine Castle I don't want you to speak of your mother like that, she's dead. We saw the pictures so leave her rest in peace." He pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at his daughter.

"Dad, listen to me. I would never make that up, you know me, I wouldn't use Mom's name like that, but this is true. She showed up at our door the other day. I swear on my own kids I'm telling you the truth." She was trying to let him see that she believed it had been her mother on her door.

Jim was about to object again, when the door bell rang. He went to get the door with Kate following him behind. When he opened the door he saw Alexis. She was standing beside the woman who had haunted his dreams and conscience since her death. It couldn't be. She was dead, he had seen the pictures so many times, he had seen them when the police first informed him and he had seen it over the year, during the periods of time Kate would obsess over them. But he knew it was his wife standing there. All color had been drained from his face, he had gone numb he didn't even notice Alexis saying hello to him or to her mother. The only thing he had been wishing, longing to do was hear her voice.

"Hello Jim." That was it, just two words and he believed in everything he had been told about earlier. Because it was true, the last thing he remembered about her was her voice. It was there when he needed it, he would form the sentence in his head and then he would imagine it with his wife's voice. But he never though he was going to hear it again because his wife had died that night in that alley.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle; it belongs to ABC and Andrew Marlowe.**

**AN: Thank you so much for the reviews, it inspires me to keep writing. Songs to listen to while reading: **_**Hold On **_**by Phillip Phillips and **_**Home **_**by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes.**

…**..**

Kate saw it, her mother saw it. The way Jim looked at Johanna and then diverted his gaze to Kate, the way he played with the hem of his shirt and there was always the firm line his lips formed. He was shocked and confused. Like that time they caught Kate making out with a boy on her bed, or the time when Johanna had told them what she was working on. The fact that it was happening again to them, to the _three _of them, shook them to their core. Kate had accepted that she wouldn't be able to see that shocked look on his face anymore; it had disappeared from his father a long time ago. Because nothing could shock him more than the news he received that November night. But she was here again and there was no way this was a joke because she was smiling at him like she used to do, because Katie was looking at him begging him to believe, to find a way to forgive her for all the pain her death had brought them.

"Mom, please come in." His daughter commented.

Once they were sitting, Jim on the recliner while Kate and Johanna sat on the couch, it was Johanna who broke the silence with the two words he'd been longing to hear, the two words that he said over and over again after her death. "I'm sorry" She looked at him and then at Kate. "I'm not begging for forgiveness, I just want you to understand, you and Katie are my rock, because of you I held onto whatever I had at the moment to keep going."

He shook his head. "It's a little too late for that now Jo. You left us and that hurt, I hit rock bottom. But the worst part is that you could have come back to us, and you didn't. You remained wherever you were at and didn't consider coming back. You were gone and we had to move on, we had to re-build our lives."

Kate looked at her father and then at her mother and saw how deeply it had affected her, the words her father had chosen. They were the truth; there was no easy way out of this. They all knew that it was going to be a long way to redemption, but they could do it, only if they worked together.

"That's true Mom. You were gone and I was lost, Dad couldn't say a word if he didn't have the bottle at the moment. I dropped out of college and joined the Police Academy because that's what made sense at the time. I didn't think that through like I had when I decided I was going to study law. I made the most important decision of my life out of pain and hurt because you weren't there to explain me how much it would affect my life."She had tears in her eyes, and she was looking at her mother the way she had looked at every suspect she'd interrogated, demanding answers.

"What do you want me to say Katie? I tried to get to you, I tried to get home but they were everywhere, I couldn't buy a plane ticket because they were the next customer behind me. If I could have ran away from there I would have."She tried to explain herself.

"That's not the point Jo, you could've called, and you could've written a letter to let us know that you were alive, that you were alright. And you didn't." Jim added.

"Mom, are you even listening to yourself? You keep saying they over and over again and you haven't mentioned a name. Espo called a friend in witness protection and they didn't find your name or any of your aliases. Do you know how frustrating it is for me to go home and forget about your illegal adventures? I stayed up all night yesterday to find something regarding your abduction, trying to get answers when _you_ have them. And then Rick came and dragged me to bed, he continued searching Mom. Because he needs the answers just as much as I need them. We only need a name. Just a name." She looked at her mother and then at her father.

"I don't have a name Katie, they drugged me so I couldn't hear nor remember any of the things they were saying." Kate looked at her mother and sighed, just like she used to do when she was a teenager.

She, then looked at her father, it hadn't been that long since he had talked but he had received life-changing news and she knew how bad they could affect a person's state of mind. She looked at her father who had been sitting on the couch in the same spot since her mother arrived and waited for him to pick on her for watching him.

"Dad. Dad, look at me." She somehow knew what was happening and kneeled in front of him. Without thinking much, she took her phone and lit the flash. As she guided it through his eyes, she clenched her jaw at the lack of movement. She quickly called 911.

"911, what is your emergency?" She heard a woman's voice on the other end.

"My father just went into shock. He's not responding to any stimuli and his breathing's fast?"She informed just like she had done so many times when she had been on the field.

"Ok, I need an address and a name so we can send a team over." She quickly responded.

As Kate gave the address, she saw how Johanna went to another room; she supposed it was because she was supposed to be dead or simply because she was lost. She just shrugged it off and focused on her father.

"Ma'am, I need a name."The voice on the phone broke her from her thoughts.

"Katherine Castle and my father's Jim Beckett." She hung up the phone after being informed that the paramedics were on their way and that they would arrive shortly. She then called her emergency contact and waited for him to pick up.

"Kate? Is everything all right?"She could sense the worry in his voice, she wondered how even when she had not utter a word, how he could pick up the tension and discomfort.

"Rick, it's my dad. He's in shock, I already called 911 and they're on their way but I need you to get my mother out of here before someone sees her and starts asking questions. The siren's in the trunk of my car, you can use it to get here fast." She didn't need to wait for him to say something because he was already moving.

"Kate, I need you to listen to me. We're going to get your dad into the hospital but you are coming home tonight so you can tuck Jo and Roy in. We'll talk once your dad's in a hospital bed." He hung up before she could argue with him. She gave one last look at her father and went in search of her mother.

"Mom, I need you to listen to me very carefully. Rick's coming for you, but there's no way he'll be here before the medics so you are going to go and wait for him in around the corner. It's very important that no one sees you out there. I need you to react now, Dad's in shock and he will need help getting through this and you won't be much help if they find you again." She instructed her mother who just nodded, she moved around the house and handed her some sunglasses and a hat o cover her face with.

Just after her mother closed the door, she texted Rick to let him know where he was supposed to pick her mother up. She made one last call and waited for the person to answer.

"Hey girl, what's up?" She heard the Latina over the phone.

"Lanie, my dad's in shock and I don't how much until the medics are here. Tell me what to do."She was frantic, not wanting to waste more time.

"Ok, you want him to talk. Make him talk or move." She explained rapidly.

"Dad, it's me Katie. I need you to talk to me Dad. Please tell me something, what's on your mind." She sighed heavily when he didn't respond. "He's not responding, what do I do now?" She was tense and terrified about her father's well-being but she knew she had to keep going.

"Kate, his body is under stress. Do whatever you can do to keep him calm, talk to him like you were doing before but do not touch him, he could respond too violently."

Kate started talking to him and seeing that it didn't work, she started singing the few song she knew he liked. His breathing began to slow down but he still didn't respond to the light aimed at his eyes. There was a knock on the door and she ran to open the door to the team of paramedics waiting already to check him.

"What happened?" The first one who kneeled in front of him asked while he moved his flashlight from right to left and vice versa.

"He just received news he wasn't expecting and he suddenly stopped talking. I talked to him and managed to slow his breathing." One of the two other medics, knelt beside his partner and began taking to him, while the other one approached Kate to inform her of what was about to happen.

"Ma'am we're getting him to the Presbyterian where he'll be treated and if everything goes well, then by tomorrow afternoon he'll be checked out." The medic handed her the papers to be signed and waited for her to be done.

The two paramedics got Jim on a wheelchair and wheeled him out of the house while Kate closed the door following the last one.

…

Rick opened the door to let Johanna get in the car. He started the car and drove away just as Kate and Jim got into the ambulance.

"So, where are we going?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"Well, I called in a few favors and managed to get you a place where no one will disturb you." He had talked with his father, and he had agreed to let her stay with him until they sort everything out.

Johanna nodded, not wanting to know where they were going. If she was going to stay there for a long period of time, it would be best if she didn't know where in case they found her. She knew her life was on the line, but she didn't want to put her daughter's and her family's on the line too. She imagined someone was going to watch over her and she felt safe in that car, even though the man driving didn't seem to have much training, it was as safe as she had felt in a long time.

"They are here in New York, and I what you said to the Captain was the truth, then you need to be protected while staying away from us. Kate doesn't need this, you may be alive and all but you were dead and that won't change. It happened to Kate the other night." He looked at her, trying to make her understand.

"What happened to Kate?" She asked worriedly.

"She went into shock, only for her it developed into a flashback of a traumatic event that she experienced. She went back in time in her head, she didn't remember having kids. She was stuck in a dark place. I hope you know that your daughter is the strongest person I know, she has been through so much in her life and I don't want her to become scared or weak again. You are the reason she became that strong in the first place, I was just in the right place at the right time. But if she keeps having flashbacks or mental breakdowns I will do whatever it is to keep her safe and you need to know that, in case it means keeping her from you. Johanna, she loved you so much and it took her a very long time to get over your death. Now you have to give her time so she can learn to love you again." She was silent for a few minutes, letting his words sink in.

"I hope I have that time, I really do."


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything as it's been said earlier.**

…

Jim was wheeled into the hospital surrounded by a handful of doctors. One of them approached Kate and assured her that her father was going to be taken care of so she didn't have to worry. Kate went into the waiting room and started pacing the room filled with worried relatives. She sat down on one of the chairs and looked around the room. She was anxious; it had been too long since she had to wait for her father to recover. She got up and walked around the hallways; she took out her phone and checked for new mails. She was so absorbed in her reading that she bumped into the person who was coming her way. She stumbled to the floor and looked around for her phone. Once she knew it was still functioning, she looked to the other person sitting on the floor staring at her. He looked older than what she would have thought. His hair was shorter than when she knew him, and his face reflected the time that had gone since she last saw him. The thing that shocked her was the way he looked at her, like if she was the only one in the room.

"Josh?" She asked once on her feet.

"Kate. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"This is a hospital Josh, and my father just got transferred here from an ambulance." She said nonchalantly as she went back to the waiting room.

"Kate wait!" He tried to catch up to her. He grabbed her arm and tried to stop her, but she stared at him and got loose.

"Look, this is not the time Josh. But if you want to catch up, you know where I work." She noticed a nurse waiting for her return.

"He's stable; the doctor will be with you shortly. You can go in and talk with him." She pointed at the door where he was resting.

Kate opened the door to see her father deep in thought; he looked at her when she shut the door. She didn't say a word to him, leaving him time to process all the events. She sat next to his bad and took his hand in both of hers, letting him know that she was there. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

"Not in here Dad, it's not a conversation to have in a hospital room. The doctor will be here in a minute and I don't want him to hear anything." Just as she finished talking, said doctor walked in.

"Mr. Beckett, I'm Dr. Harris." He introduced himself. "And you must be Mrs. Castle" He smirked at the woman. "From what I've seen and heard from the paramedics who took care of you in the site, you have suffered an acute stress reaction. This means that because of some traumatic event or an event of significance, your brain worked in a different way than your body. The brain is composed of three parts, let's say, the cortex, where higher thinking skills arise, the limbic system, where emotions evolve and the brain stem, which control the basic survival skills. When someone experiences a traumatic event, these three parts work together to face the threat they think they have indentified. Now, the symptoms your daughter described to the medics are often seen in these cases, so we're off the woods. Now, it would be wise for you to spend the night here in case you suffer another episode. This can happen in the next four weeks, so you need to be aware of it, you will need therapy with a psychologist and try some relaxation methods so you don't work up your nerves. Also you shouldn't be near the source of the event whether it's a person, an object or a place. Do you have any questions?" He asked calmly. Kate looked at her father and waited for him to answer.

"No, everything's clear. Thank you doctor." He said as he watched the man retreated from the room.

"Dad, I have to leave now. Rick will stay the night with you in case something happens. I love you Dad." She kissed him on the forehead and went to the door.

…

She opened the front door of the loft and smiled as she heard small feet run through the hallways. Jo and Roy came crushing to her as if they hadn't seen their mother in years. She hugged them back. She saw Alexis standing in the doorway; her arms crossed looking at her family.

"Dad just left actually, I'm not sure how you missed him." Her daughter informed her.

"Well, then I guess it's time for a bath, isn't it?" She said looking at both of the kids.

"I'm going to my room and study for my exam, just call me if you need any help." Alexis kissed them goodbye and went to her room.

"Jo, stop pinching my arm. Roy, go to the bathroom and start running the water, not like last time. A bit colder than boiling." She said watching her only son run up the stairs. She sighed; there was no point in slowing him down. She picked Jo up and carried her to the master bedroom so she could change into comfortable clothes. She took one of Rick's shirts and yoga pants and placed her heels near the bed.

"Mommy, are you going to tell Grandma how you got the scar?" The little girl asked seriously.

"When the time comes I will. Why do you ask?"

"Because Grams told me they were all scared when the bad man shot you"

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Without missing a beat, the girl started rambling about her friends at school.

…**..**

Kate managed to tuck them in just like any other day; they were asleep by the time she got out of the room. She was tired, there were so many things they needed to do before she got to bed. She heard footsteps coming from the kitchen and went to see which one of the kids had gone to get a snack. Instead of two small children, Alexis was in the kitchen rumbling through the cabinets. She had found her doing the same thing over the years, when the girl stayed up studying; she would go to the kitchen and get a steaming cup of tea to work her nerves. She found what she was looking for, two bags of tea and placed them on the counter. Alexis smiled as she saw Kate get their mugs; they had been a Christmas present from Rick, two identical mugs with their names on the side. Alexis sat on one of the chairs, and waited as Kate poured the boiling water on both mugs. She then placed the bags in the water and watched as they tainted the water.

"How's Jim?" Alexis asked in a worried tone.

"He's stable, your father's with him at the moment. God, I was so scared." She shook her head, chuckling at the thought of the past experience.

"Thank God he's okay. Is Dad with him?" She asked the older woman.

"Yes, just in case something happens to him this night."She took a sip of her tea, relying on the familiar taste. "Have the guys found anything about my mother?" Alexis smiled, that was Lieutenant Castle speaking, right down to business.

"Not that much really. She just vanished, she died in legal terms. There was no evidence of her being in the country or in any legal system for that matter. Whoever they are, they are really powerful, they know how to cover their tracks. We also searched for Lockset, but nothing came up."

"Maybe we're looking at it the wrong way, maybe it's not a what, but a who what we have to look for. Maybe Lockset is the one behind all of this. You remember Vikram? You need to call him and arranged a meeting with Javi and Kevin. I'm calling your Dad right now and discuss this so you can go and sleep some for your exam tomorrow."


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. **

**A/N: I'm so sorry it has taken so much time to get this chapter done. I've never been so caught up with homework and whatnots. So that leaves you guys with a larger chapter. Again, I'm not a native speaker and that means that my English may (and will) have a few grammar errors. **

…

Her phone woke them up; they hadn't had much sleep after Jo came running to their room scared of the monster under the bed. She had some trouble shutting down her imagination when she went to sleep and sometimes, it got the best of her. So when the little girl asked her Daddy to let her sleep in the big bed with tears running down her face, he picked her up and placed her in the middle.

"Castle" Kate answered the phone.

"We have a name for the mystery guy who got in the elevator with Alexis. We searched into his license plate and managed to get a name. His name's Joel Montes, he's Mexican." She got up and went to the kitchen so Jo didn't wake up.

"Is he related to Braken's campaign?" She asked already forming different ideas of his relation with the case.

"No and yes. His name didn't come up in any of the official papers but Ryan found his name in the same list as Braken's nephew. They went to college together, he moved to the States when his mother died and his father kicked him out of their house. Besides that, there's not much about him." Espo informed her, they had been searching through all the files during the night.

"I'm coming" She deadpanned; there was no way he was getting away after having seen Alexis and being connected to Bracken. She hung up and retreated to the bedroom to wake her husband up. It was a pity really, seeing him spooning Jo.

She got on the bed and straddled him by the waist, trying not to wake the 4-year-old. She then kissed him on the cheek and waited for him to stir, and seeing that he wasn't going to in the near future, she started whispering her name.

"Rick, babe wake up" She murmured, her lips touching his ear. "Rick, I need you to wake up." She began to raise her volume, but not loud enough to wake her daughter.

"What happened?" He asked her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Not here, come to the kitchen" She helped him to his feet and held his hand on the way to the kitchen. "Espo called, they got the name of the guy following Alexis. They will fill us in as soon as we arrive. Gates and Ryan are onto him, trying to find the man, while Espo is doing research on the guy"

"Well, I'll go wake Jo up while you get Alexis and Roy. We'll drop them at my mother's." He hugged her tightly; she rested her head on his chest and breathed his familiar essence. "Everything will work out in the end, Kate. We just need to wait a little more time." She smiled; there he was, always thinking positively and ahead of the problem. It amazed her sometimes how a man who acted like a nine-year-old in a sugar rush could be everything she needed.

The boy was sleeping soundly on his bed and it broke her heart to have to wake him up. She approached the bed and poked him gently in the shoulder. It was surreal how much the little boy resembled his father; they did the same thing when they were woken up; they would open their eyes, take a big breath and close them again, laying back in the bed weighing their options.

"Roy we don't have much time. You'll go over to Grams for the time being and she'll take you to school." She sat on the side of the bed waiting for him to react at her words. She wasn't prepared for the hug. His arms hung loosely around her neck and she wrapped hers around his waist to keep in place.

"I love you Mommy."

"I love you too baby." She let the moment linger, she knew that she had to move and do something, but her boy was hugging her so tight, like if his life depended on it and she couldn't let the moment go.

"Mommy, I know that you and Grandma are having problems and stuff. But I want you to know that I love you, and I'm sure you love her too, she's your Mommy, after all." He reasoned, explaining his simple logic to his mother.

"It's more complicated than that Roy."

"How so? You named Jo after her, right? And you don't do that if you don't love the person they're named after." He was the one who broke the hug, trying to look at her. His hazel eyes, identical to hers were piercing her soul, like his father did.

"And who told you that?" She asked him out of curiosity.

"Uncle Kev, when I asked him about Nick's second name. Did you know that he got his name after Uncle Javi?" She nodded, remembering the anxiety in that waiting room and Castle spending his "wishes" on the couple.

"I'll tell you what, you go and pack your things for school and on the way to Grams' I can tell you all about your name, deal?" She proposed to him. He weighed his options and smiled widely at him.

…

When they arrived at the precinct half an hour later, there were more people that she remembered. They made their way to her desk, Espo and Ryan waiting for them.

"What's going on?" Castle asked.

"It turns out that he's a hit man, and the F.B.I. has been looking for him. In fact, he's one of the twenty most wanted at the moment."

"Are they coming?" Kate asked, referring to the three men talking with the captain.

"Seems like it, the captain is trying to buy us more time. It's just a matter of time until they catch up to what we are actually looking into." Ryan explained them.

Kate sat on her chair; she had some paperwork to get done before she went home. She sighed, it had been a few stressful weeks as of lately. Everything had been turned upside down, as if the universe was sending a signal saying that her life's was way too easy for her.

"Okay, um… what do we have on the hit man and why was he after Alexis?" The Lieutenant asked.

"Well, apparently, he was with Bracken's nephew in college. They spent four years together, Nathan Bracken then went to work for his uncle and Montes went back to Mexico to see his dying grandfather. He came back to New York after three years, when Nathan got him a job in his uncle's illegal company." Espo lead them to the board, where they had hung up some photos of the three of them.

"What happened to the grandfather?" Castle asked the two detectives.

"He died of a Gastric Cancer; he had been diagnosed five years earlier."

"What if it wasn't cancer? What if he died of something else?" Kate started to catch up with her husband.

"Bracken did have the resources; he could've bribed the doctors to rule it out as a natural death. But Montes found out."  
"And went to confront Bracken, but without evidence, he couldn't rat him out"

"So, he accepted his offer and started training. And that's how Bracken managed to get himself a hit man."

"When his training was done, he came to work for him and to make sure Bracken's nephew was okay. While making a living out of Bracken's targets." She finished with a smile, and then turned to the two detectives. "Run a background check; find out what he did in Mexico. Castle, I need you to dig up everything he has in his bank account and look into the months someone opposite to Bracken died."

Everyone went to work, Ryan and Espo taking their seats and Castle sitting right next to her. He took her laptop out of her drawer and started typing. The captain exited her office, followed by the men she had been talking to, and after leading them back to the elevator, she retreated to her office. It was too messed up to find anything; it was loose end after loose end. She asked the boys if they had found something they could work on, even Castle was having trouble finding something.

"Beckett, I found something." Espo called her out. "Look at this, his grandfather wasn't the only relative he got rid of. Joel Montes' mother Gabriela Santos had a sister; she died two months after Enrique did. Here's when things get interesting, she had a daughter who she gave up for adoption. And guess where she lives?" He asked rhetorically.

"New York?" She asked and he nodded. "Go pick her up; if she knows anything about Montes, she could lead us to Bracken."


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except a wild imagination and a handful of characters I made up. Because if I did own this show, well… let's just say that we would have seen Stana and Nathan next year. SPOILER ALERT: I wouldn't continue reading it if you haven't watched the last episode.**

**A/N: So… it's over. I swear I still can't believe it's over. But everything ends at some point, sometimes earlier and other later than what we expect. I hope this fic helps you somehow to find whatever you're looking for now that the show's over. (Yes, I'm aware I've said it thrice now, but bear with me). **

**Now that summer's approaching and it seems like I will be having a long summer I decided to write and end this and the other two fics I have been "working" on throughout this year or so. That being said, I created a Twitter account for you guys so you can ask anything of your liking and I could say the weird stuff in my head: meowingnow97. **

…

They came in an hour later, the woman being escorted to the interrogation room trying to make sense of the situation, there was no doubt in her mind that she could lead them closer to the man behind the name of LokSat. She had spent too many hours wrecking her mind to find something that could somehow appear to her and only her. It was useless; she knew that, she was a cop for crying out loud, she knew that there was always a reason behind every act of violence. She followed the two detectives into the interrogation room, signaling Espo to step aside and let her and Ryan carry out the interrogation. The woman was young, in her early twenties.

"Ms. Santos, do you know why you're here?" Ryan started.

The woman looked at him defiantly and merely shrugged her shoulders; she looked between the two cops, trying to figure out a way out. Kate huffed and slid the file they had spent hours recollecting from different databases. The thing about the woman was that she could be the only chance they had to get closer to LokSat and she didn't look like she was about to cooperate.

"Ms. Santos, we'd like you to answer a few questions we have concerning your cousin Joel Montes." When the woman averted her gaze from the opened file, depicting the life of her cousin, she pressed on. "Now, I understand the length we are asking you to go, to answer this questions and I assure you we are going to do everything in our power to keep you safe." She looked at the other woman in the eyes as she said it, there was something conforming about having someone's back and she knew that comfort could give her the answers.

"You don't know a thing about my cousin, _I _don't know much about him. Just that his mother was my mother's sister. That's it." She placed her hands on the desk, trying to make the other two people in the room see that she wasn't going to talk.

Ryan took the file back and began displaying the different photos of Montes on the desk; only this time he made sure she was watching them with enough attention to catch a response.

"We know that Mr. Montes is Bracken's hitman, we know that he's killed over fifteen people in the last two years and that you want out. We know that you didn't move to New York because you felt like it. You moved here because you were scare of _them _finding out you were related to Montes so you trusted him when he told you you'd be safe with him. But something happened right? You wouldn't be here if he had been with you when we searched your place." Ryan pointed at a photo of Montes shaking hand with Bracken. "Listen, your place was empty, he surely wasn't living there so tell us what happened and maybe we can help you out."

"I'm adopted, I never knew my biological mother, and the only thing I knew was that she had me in the States, left me in Ohio and flew back to Mexico. So when they started coming I thought they were mistaken, they didn't have any reason to attack me and when it became a constant, I moved from city to city in case they would end up hurting the people close to me. He found me in Arkansas, I was about to drive to another city when he broke into my house and told me that it was his fault they were following me, that he was my cousin and because we were related by blood, they were coming for me to make him pay." She took the picture Ryan had pointed out earlier. "He knew that I was in danger and so he offered to help me, and I followed him. I didn't know who he was or what his job was and when I found out it was too late I was too deep to get myself out. I played along, going with him to his missions, acting as a cover and his boss let us be. He didn't ask questions because he didn't want the answers, that's what he always said. There was this time that the name Bracken slipped from his lips and he knew that I had caught up to him, he explained to me that I couldn't say his name, that it was a big mistake he had made and made me promised not to tell nor ask questions about it."

"But what happened that it made him leave you like that?" Kate pressed once more.

"We… um we got involved and it escalated quickly and before I knew we were living together and I was scared, I didn't have anyone to turn to when it happened." She was crying, the tears reflected her fear, the fear she had felt before they had retrieved the papers from Mr. Smith.

"He got you pregnant and when you told him he fled." Ryan finished. He looked at Kate and nodded, it was plausible that he had run away after finding out she was expecting a baby. "But why did he leave, he could've got rid of the baby and go back to normal."

"But I wanted to keep the baby, so when he confronted me, he got mad and upset and he called him, Bracken told him that I was just a distraction and that he wanted him to make the move before _they _did. I didn't hear much because he walked away, went to the bedroom retrieved his clothes and left me there."

"Wait. Who are _they_?" It seemed that her mother wasn't the only one having trouble with that word, out of the times she had heard anyone uttered that word, they had been scared as if by saying it out loud would have them killed.

"I don't know, I thought that he was referring to the men who had been after me before I met Joel, but after he left, I started to stumble into them in the streets, they would make sure I knew I was being watched, they were everywhere and I couldn't move without sensing them nearby. That's why I came here because they wouldn't enter this building, they live out of their anonymity, and they wouldn't put themselves in the crossfire." It all came back to her, the way her mother had spoken about them, how they were lurking in the shadows controlling whoever it was they needed to watch. It was true, her mother hadn't been lying, and she was telling the truth.

"Beckett, you know what this means right? If they are the same people who controlled your mother, this is all related." Ryan glanced at the woman one last time before making his way out of the room and entering the one next to it. Espo, Castle and Gates were all there, already thinking about whatever that meant. They all went silent when Beckett stepped in. She looked at the woman patiently waiting in the interrogation room and turned to look at her co-workers.

"Espo, I need you to continue with the interrogation, find out everything about them, no matter how insignificant it may be." She turned to the other detective, who nodded respectfully and followed his partner into the room once again.

"You know Kate? I always admired you, and how you got to the answer if every problem you've come across. It is really brave of you to aspire to do that with every case, but this case is way too big for you, for Castle, Ryan and Esposito to handle. It is even way more that what _I _can handle and I'm the captain of this precinct. I think it's time we called the feds; this is bigger than everyone here thought at the beginning. You did take Bracken down when you arrested him, but we all know that didn't stop him from continuing with his work. And whoever that LokSat is, is more dangerous than him and so, I think it would be wise to have back up in case this whole thing backfires." Captain Gates addressed the Lieutenant.

"I understand sir. But, what do you expect me to do? To just hang them every piece of information we've recollected over the years so that we don't have any leads in this case?" She asked, she knew there was no point in arguing with the Captain, no way of making her reconsider her plans.

"Right now, I need you to take care of your family and sort everything out with them before moving forward with the case. So go home, make sure your children are safe and come back once you are sure you're willing to seek the answers you may not want to get. In case you do decide to move forward I would bring your mother here, she'll be protected and she can give us the information we need." It was pretty clear to Kate that it was an order, and even being Lieutenant, she had the obligation to follow through with it. She looked at her husband who merely nodded at the Captain as he ushered her outside the room.

She kept quiet, responding to his questions with nods or shakes of her head. She was too busy trying to comprehend what was going on, trying to wrap her thought into a coherent sentence that could, somehow bring her piece with her current state of mind. Castle understood that she needed time to process this new information, he did too. He also knew that he had to take care of every little thing she had been ordered to do, so he called his daughter, his mother, his father-in-law and surprisingly for him, his mother-in-law. They were supposed to be at the loft by the time they arrived, Alexis had informed him that Hayley was tagging along and that they were already on their way to Martha's to pick her up, while Jim made sure to tell him that he would bring Johanna to the loft. Everything was falling to place, except his wife who was too distracted with the task at hand to look away from the road as she kept driving.

…**.**

"Katie I'm not following. Please, explain to me whatever it is that you need from us again, because I didn't catch a thing." Her father asked.

They were all sitting in the living room, Hayley besides Alexis who was sitting next to Martha on the big couch, leaving Jim and Johanna to sit on the barstools they had moved. Kate took a long breath and looked at her family, waiting for responses.

"I honestly can't tell you much, I'd be putting the whole of you in the spotlight and right now the last thing you need, for them to follow you because of what I tell you. All I need from you is to know that you are aware that you're in danger and act on it. I've talked to Rita and she acceded to help us in order to hide you until this thing ends or in case this blows up. That's why I'm asking you to take care of Roy and Jo because I know that you'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe." She explained to her father, the words had a bittersweet taste in her mouth. "And I need you to come with me to the precinct so the feds can get some answers." She said looking at her mother.

"No. If I go to a safe house, she comes with me. There is no way in hell I'm leaving her again." Her father stubbornly refused.

"Dad, please don't make this any harder that it already is. I need you on the same page here. We can't do it on our own." She pleaded for her father to see some sense into the situation.

"I don't think it is necessary that we all go into hiding." He said looking at the three women sitting on the couch.

"Because we're not. We're not going into hiding; we're going to help you even if it means to have a stalker with a gun following me around. We want to help, Mom." Alexis said looking at Hayley and then at her mother.

"You too Mother?" Rick asked the red-hair.

"Oh no Richard, I think I've been into many adventures for a lifetime, this time I want out of the danger and I don't mind expending extra time with my grandchildren if that what you and Katherine need at the time. Perhaps it may be time that I changed the routine, it was getting monotonous and I'm sure the kids won't have any problem settling down somewhere new for once." Martha concluded, expecting her daughter-in-law to agree with her so she could be in her way.

"Please Dad go with Martha and so I will be assured that nothing bad happens to you. I wouldn't live with myself if something were to happen to you Dad" She pleaded with her father.

There had been many times that James Beckett had asked her to be careful because they both knew that since the day she had been accepted into the Police Academy, their lives would be more interesting. They had been through so much even more so after Castle had come along, and he missed those days. The days in which all he had to worry about was her not failing any subjects and making sure she didn't end up with a broken heart. But those days were long gone. They had slipped away when they stabbed his wife and she chose a life driven by revenge. She had been worried about him when he took the bottle like a lifeboat in a sinking ship, and he knew that it was right by her to let her live her life, even if it meant to see her sail away everyday in that ship about to sink.

"If I do this, promise me that I'll see you again and not in a hospital bed with a gunshot to the chest." He pointed a finger at her, remembering her pale face days after the surgery. "I can't promise you that and you know it Dad. But I promise you that I'll try not to get shot."

"I have her back Jim. I won't let her get shot during my watch. You have my word." Castle assured his father-in-law.

"I'm going now, but call me tomorrow morning and whenever something happens. No complaints about that Katie." She nodded and went over to hug him, whispering in his ear how much his trust meant to her.

Martha then took that as a cue to say goodbye to the rest of her family assembled in the room; she hugged Hayley and Alexis and then took her son into a tight hug, finishing with Kate. She waited with Jim in the lobby of the building while Kate and Rick took their time to say goodbye to Roy and Jo who kept crying wanting their parents to go with them. They had left Johanna with Hayley and Alexis and had carried their kids down in the elevator.

"Baby don't cry, okay? Everything will work out in the end and we'll see each other soon. This is just temporary." Kate tried to console her four-year-old.

"But I don't want to go Mommy, I want to stay with you and Daddy." See sniffed.

"Listen to what I tell you okay? Once Daddy and I finish this project then, we'll go to Disney with Alexis and Hayley okay?" She saw the little girl nodding and hugged her with all her strength; she knew it would be a long time until she would see her again. She hated that her children had to hide because of her work but she also knew that was the life she was bound to live.

Once Martha and Jim had gotten into the car with Rita, they made their way to the loft where Alexis and Hayley were chatting away with Johanna. They needed to come up with a plan to tackle the problem, to end with that thing once and for all.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I want to thank you guys for the amazing response I got from last chapter, I'd like to think of this as team work, because I wouldn't probably be writing now if it wasn't for you guys. That being said I'd like to thank the guest who review to let me know of my mistakes; I'll make sure to review them. BUT I will not go back to the very beginning of this fic until it's finished. Yes, I know, It's kinda dumb, but if I don't do it this way, then I won't ever finish writing this. So, THANK YOU guys for your follows, favs and reviews.**

**Moreover, I hope you guys don't have any problems with the content of this chapter, however, if that were the case, you need to know that I WILL NOT CHANGE a thing about this. So, with that being said, let's get on with it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own this beautiful world; I'm only borrowing them for my own entertainment.**

…**..**

Kate immediately saw how Hayley removed her hand from Alexis's thigh, and made a mental note to ask Alexis about it later. They weren't exactly subtle which sometimes worried Kate, she wasn't against whatever they had, but she doubter her husband would be too keen to the idea. So she just let it be for the time being. Johanna stared at her daughter like she had done almost every day during the last days. It was still shocking for her to see how her little girl had grown up to be the amazing woman she was, how she had come up stronger from all the wrongs in her life. Kate cleared her throat to keep her mother from staring much longer.

"What it's going to be said here is confidential. The feds are already on their way so if they get word that you know, we'll be out of the case. So, please don't talk about this to anyone else, and if you don't have a choice, ask us before talking." She instructed as Rick motioned to get moving.

They entered his offices, full of book and other items, like the plate on his desk, the skateboard hanging on the wall and the various drawings made by Jo and Roy. Castle moved the big TV and turned it on, opening the secret file he had in there.

"How long have you had this?" Hayley asked.

"Since Kate was shot, more or less. I started compiling evidence since the first time I heard Kate talk about her mother's case. And it somehow grew over the years with more evidence and loose ends." He showed proudly all they had on LockSat.

"What you need to know is that the man behind everything that happened to Johanna was and is, part of a plan. Everything was planned by the same man. We don't who that is, but we suspect that he was behind the murder of Vulcan Simmons, Michael Smith and the arrest of Bracken. He was the one who hired Bracken to somehow cover his dirty operations and managed to get Bracken in the public eye, giving him a career. He has hitmen who won't hesitate to pull the trigger, he has hackers who are capable of getting inside the FBI and he has men everywhere. He's basically untraceable by now." Castle explained to the other women in the room.

"Who's Michael Smith?" Hayley asked Kate.

"He was the man who handed us a file with evidence against Bracken as a safety net in case Bracken were to attempt anything against the people I care about. At the time it was the only thing we had on this. But the file went up in flames when Bracken's hitman, Maddox, triggered a bomb. He was tortured for the information and made it look like he was killed. He's basically the only guy who knows of this and is still breathing" She explained.

"How do we find him?" Alexis looked at Hayley, following her train of thought.

"We don't. That's the thing, he doesn't want to be found, it's him the one who finds you." Castle looked at Johanna. "The only times he contacted me was right after Kate's shooting and when she was getting too close to the truth."

"But there's more. When we started digging into this LokSat, it was somehow linked to the people I met when I worked for the D.A. Which makes everyone from the FBI, the government and the CIA a suspect. And now that the FBI will be helping us out with the case, we have to be ready. This guy can place a hitman inside the precinct." Kate concluded.

"So, what do we do next?" Alexis asked the couple.

"We wait, it's only a matter of time until they make their next move. And when they do we'll be ready." Rick answered the question.

They were aware of the danger they were placing themselves in, they had known for some time. But they were willing to take the risk. They needed to do it in order to finally close the case.

"Johanna, I need something from you" Kate addressed her mother. "I need you to see Dr. Burke, he will be able to extract more information than what you're aware of. I need you to go into hypnosis and see if we can get more clues."

"Alright. I'll do it." Johanna looked at her daughter. "You know; you can call me Mom. You don't need to call me Johanna." She said sympathetically. In that tone that reminded Kate of all those times she had seen her mother cry, when she would simply say; _Moms also cry Katie. _

"I'm sorry, it's just too early for me to do that. Need I remind you, you were dead for more than fifteen years and I need some time to get used to the idea of having you around." She explained, always looking into those hazel eyes so similar to her own.

"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll be leaving." Johanna excused herself.

"Wait, we'll go with you. I need to head home and prepare everything for tomorrow's meeting." Alexis followed Johanna out of the room, looking back to Hayley who nodded at them and exited the room.

After they were gone, Kate went to Rick who wrapped his arms around her. They kept silence, not a word was exchanged, they just enjoyed the hug and the comfort they got from the simple gesture. The lieutenant had her head full, she had so many things to take care of that she didn't know where to start telling him.

"I miss them." He voiced one of her thoughts.

"I miss them too. It will be hard to be so long without them, but they're safe with your parents and my dad. Nothing will happen to them."

"You remember that time when I suggested sending them to a boarding school, so we could have some alone time?" She hummed in response. "Well, I take it back. I gladly live without sex in my life if it meant I could keep them close." He grinned as she snorted.

"Oh, Castle. We both know that's not true, you wouldn't make a week without sex." She said in a sing-song voice.

"Well, once in a month if it means the kids are alright." He smiled at her and pecked her lips. "I already miss them Kate. I miss everything I don't like about them. I miss Jo and her habit of making a fuzz out of everything she does, and the way she throws the food around the table when she doesn't like it. And I miss our son and his tendency to repeat the new words, his messy room and dirty shocks he hides under the bed."

She smiled at him, she missed them too. She missed them so much it physically hurt but she had to hold on for the both of them.

….

Alexis glanced at Hayley, she had been quiet from the minutes he got into the vehicle and it worried Alexis. Out of the eight years she had known her, the older woman had never been one to keep shut, always having something to comment, always with a suggestion ready. Alexis, who had seen Hayley in situations she had never imagined, had never been the one to ask the question, yet it seemed that it was her time to ask.

"Are you alright?" She hated when she sounded cliché, their relationship was not ordinary and both relied on the magical aspect of mystery and secrecy, not wanting to be like the rest of people.

"I'm not Alexis. I'm sick worried about you, I'm walking on egg shells right now. I don't want nothing happening to you, it makes me sick to my stomach. And the worst part is that I can't talk to anyone about it because it's supposed to be a secret." Hayley ranted about the situation.

It wasn't lost on Alexis that they had lasted so long without a side glance from her mother or a knowing smile from her grandmother. Surprisingly for her, they had succeeded at hiding their relationship, even when they bought a place together, nobody suspected anything. Maybe it was because of the age gap, or the long list of ex-boyfriends from both parties, but they had been doing too long.

"Mom knows." She confided.

"You think I don't know? She's known it since last Christmas. You forgot something at home and she volunteered to get it. When we came back, your hoodie was in my side of the closet and there were a couple of shoes beside the bed. She's a great detective but she's not good at committing a crime." She huffed. It had been a tense week after Christmas, she had caught the lieutenant looking her way more times than what was comfortable.

"What? And you didn't tell me?" Alexis asked, a little bit offended.

"How could I? You had just been hired and you were in cloud nine, babe. I couldn't take that away from you, and then it slipped my mind." She confessed.

"Then all those times I made up a boyfriend so she wouldn't suspect a thing, why did she play along? I mean, if she knew why not ask me?"

"And what? Having your Dad finding out that we were in a relationship? Could you imagine his reaction to the fact that I had been with his little girl?"

"Well, we have to tell him. I think it's time before something happens." She looked at her girlfriend and waited for a response. "Hayls, what do you think?" She asked to the brunette, but the other woman kept quiet as they made their way home.

Once inside, Alexis went straight for the couch, taking of her shoes and slumping down. She smiled when Hayley emerged from the kitchen with two bottles of beer and handed one to her.

"I think it's time they know about us. We've been way too much time in the closet." She smiled at the term.

"Thank you. I really-" She was interrupted by the older woman.

"But I'll only do it in one condition."

"Okay… what is it?"

"You answer one question." She sat down next to Alexis and waited for the red head to answer.

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal. Ask away"

Hayley took two long breaths "Before I ask you have to listen, okay? And do not interrupt me." When she saw the other woman nod, she proceeded with her speech. "I've done so many thing in my life, I've gone to so many places and met more people than I can even remember. But there's only one thing I want to do, there's only a place I call home and there's only a person I want to belong with. Alexis, the idea of spending the rest of my life with you is the only thing I think of as my future. It's the only thing I want to fight for, and the only thing I know will make me happy. This place is the one I call home, but not because we bought it together or because we picked out the furniture, but because of you. Because you are my home, and wherever you go, you take my home with you. Which brings me to the last part of this speech. Alexis, you are the person I can't live without. I thank whoever is up there to have brought me to you. And I want you to know that you are the light of my tunnel, you are the stars of my sky and you give me a reason to keep going. And so" She took out a velvet box from her jacket pocket and opened it, reveling a diamond ring. "Alexis Harper Castle, would you make my dream come true by becoming my wife?"

"Yes." That was all it took. A simple word and they knew they were going to spend their lives together, they knew that they were going to be a constant in each other's lives.

Hayley slipped the ring onto Alexis' finger and kissed her. They had no other choice but to come out, and they were both going to do it, together. They kissed until they both ran out of air, and they were both smiling so much that it was going to hurt. But they didn't care.

"So… what do you say if we continue in the bedroom?" Alexis asked her, her voice had dropped an octave.

"Lead the way"

…**.**

Since the moment she stepped into the bullpen, she could sense there was something off, like if they were all waiting for the other shoe to drop. She greeted Ryan and Espo and deposited her coffee on her desk. She sat down, looked around and took a sip of her coffee. Thank God her husband hadn't tired of the habit, it was second nature to them now. He would give her coffee just before heading out the door, and she would bring him some when she came home to find him typing away in his computer. She saw Captain Gates exiting her coffee and waited to be named.

"Beckett, Ryan and Esposito to my office now." She waited for them to stand up and follow her to the office. "As you may know, as we speak a team of federal agents are heading this way. I need to know what's happening with Johanna and how that's connected to Bracken. I need to know who the hitman is and what are his next plans."

"He was a friend of Bracken's nephew, turned hitman when Bracken threatened his mother's life. He had a son with her cousin and now he's nowhere to be seen. He quitted his job, packed his things and disappeared." Espo filled Gates in.

"I need you to go and see Bracken, ask him about Montes and see if he can tell us anything. Lieutenant, you stay with me to greet the agents." She sternly ordered them.

"On our way, sir." Ryan went out of the room, followed by Espo.

"I know there are some things you're hiding from me, but I want you to know that you can trust me." Gates explained the lieutenant as soon as the door was shut behind them. "However, I do know that this is not the place nor the time for this. But I will tell you one thing. Kate, you are one of the smartest people I know, yet everyone needs help sometimes. Don't be the first smart person I know to make a stupid decision that will cost you your life." The Captain made it quite clear, there was no way out of telling her everything like they had done with Alexis, Hayley and Johanna. Like always, truth had found a way to mess up her plans.

"Yes, sir." She nodded with her head respectfully.


	14. Chapter 14

They entered like they knew where they were, as if they had been in the precinct since they got out of the Academy. The FBI agents swarmed the place with their tools, which were so advanced Kate had to ask a few times what they were for. Captain Gates saw that everything was to their liking, and even ushered Espo and Ryan out of their seats so they could establish another one of their computers. They had been working non-stop for two hours when the person in charge stepped into the bullpen. It had been years since they last saw her, but she still carried herself with style and her eyes still had that sense of authority every time someone looked at her. The red hair gave her away, it had been more than a decade since Kate saw Jordan Shaw and she felt as if they were longtime friends.

"Well, it's good to see you Detective Beckett" Jordan extended her hand towards the brunette.

"It's Lieutenant Castle now. But it's good to see you again." Kate smiled at the woman, who had a familiar smirk on her face.

"Agent Shaw, I'm Captain Gates and I'd like to welcome you and your agents into our precinct" She shook her hand once again.

"Thank you, Captain. I'm pretty sure everything will work just fine" She smiled at the woman, and turned to look at the other one. "Um… where is Castle?" She remembered the writer had a tendency of touching things that in her case, were very expensive.

"Don't worry, Mr. Castle is supposed to be working on his new book" Gates reassured the agent who sported a frown in her face.

"Well, if he comes here, make sure he doesn't touch a thing of ours or he will not get to finish any book." She threatened lightly, she knew Beckett wouldn't feel offended.

"No problem. Now, if you follow me to my office, we'll talk about the impending case" Gates went right back to her office, followed by Jordan Shaw.

Beckett stood in the distance, she mindlessly started fidgeting with her wedding band. She went to her desk and to her surprise they had put all her stuff in the first drawer. She smiled at the sight of Roy, Alexis and Jo smiling in the picture and the sense of belonging she got from those smiles. She then remembered she had to speak to Alexis about a certain topic, but first, she needed to get some air. She let some agent know that she was going outside to make a phone call and that if anyone required her assistance, she could be reached by phone.

She loved New York, the busy streets and the rushing citizens were a calming theme for her. They reminded her of all the times she had been in their place, rushing to get to her destination. But in that moment, she didn't find the clarity she was looking for, she hadn't had that feeling of belonging in weeks, and all because her dead mother decided to make an appearance. Because, how many times in her life had she been that surprised with someone making a sudden appearance?. She knew that in her line of work, she was bound to experience things out of the ordinary, and her husband being the goof and curious man he was, added to the probability of reality playing with her. Yet, she also knew she could deal with it, it would take time but eventually, she could get to a place in which she was okay with her mother not being dead, but not in that moment. She realized she was getting lost in her own thoughts and so, gathered the courage and dialed Alexis.

"Mom?" Alexis' voice could be heard at the other end of the line.

"Alexis, we need to talk. Do you have anything planned for lunch?" She hoped she didn't, because then, she would have to wait another day without a straight answer. She laughed a little, she needed anything but a "straight" answer.

"Um… yeah. I should be done by noon I guess. I'll give you a call once I'm in my office."

"Okay, that works for me." There was a silence followed by the shuffling of papers.

"Listen Mom, I've got to go. I swear I'll call you."

"Yeah, fine. I love you" Kate declared, there wasn't any doubt about her intentions, and she knew Alexis was smart and would get it.

"I know. I love you too"

Kate hang up and went back to the precinct, there were a lot of agents walking around and talking to their phones. Kate looked for the two detectives she knew would be the center of attention.

"Harris, what happened?" She asked an officer who was walking towards the elevator.

"Esposito and Ryan caught Montes leaving Bracken, and they brought him in"

Without another word, she slipped into the familiar room where Shaw was overseeing the interrogation. Ryan and Espo were showing him pictures of various murders which had taken place when Bracken supposedly hired him. The victims all showed the same bullet wounds, every single bullet had penetrated the victims in the same spot in the neck.

"Mr. Montes, you're in a bit of a pickle. We have the video tapes of every one of your visits to Mr. Bracken, and we have a team working on it now, so how many times do you think they're going to watch them, until they find any piece of information you may have slipped?" Espo reasoned with the man in the other side of the table. But they were met by silence.

"You know, Javi? That with so many murders under his belt, he's going to spend all his life in jail? He's got a baby who he's not going to meet." Ryan looked to Espo, who took out a few pictures of Ana Santos they had found on her Facebook. "But, if you work with us, we can get you a shorter sentence, hopefully before your child graduates high school." But the man didn't respond. He just looked at the side of the room, at the door. Hoping he could get away from them.

"Beckett, get in there and take over the interrogation, I need Espo and Ryan out of the room." Gates ordered the Lieutenant.

She knocked and got in the room, signaling her detectives to get out of the room.

"Joel Montes. What were you doing visiting Bracken?" She asked sitting down on the chair, she rested her chin on her hands. "I know the man personally, I was the one who locked him up, and he doesn't do friends, he does business. So, tell me, what's your next target, who does he want you to kill?" She asked more sternly, trying to break him but the man in front of her just grinned and laid back in the chair.

"Listen lady, I have no idea what you're talking about. Bracken's the uncle of a friend of mine who asked me to go over to visit him, because he couldn't. Now, last time I checked it wasn't a crime. Can I go now?" He asked, quite sure of his evasive skills.

"Of course, you may go. But only when you tell me your next target" She demanded once again.

He sighed. "I met Bracken through his nephew, he went to college with me and he offered me a job. An assistant kind of job, and I took it." He placed his hands on the table, his knuckles hitting the table.

"Fine, so tell me the name of your first instructor then."

"It was a long time ago, I don't remember and even if I did, why would I tell you?"

"Does the name Clark Lewis ring a bell?"

"Nope, except sharing the name with Superman, it doesn't."

She then looked at the mirror behind them and an officer barged into the room, holding a manila folder. She took it and thanked the woman, she then took back all the pictures of Ana Santos and changed them with the new ones. There was a smug shot of a man in his late 50's, he had a complexion that gave away his Latin origins, the man in question was strong built and cold looking.

"Guillermo Gutiérrez alias Clark Lewis. He was caught two years ago for the same crimes you have on your belt right now. He will be in there for the rest of his days. And do you know what we found? He had the same curriculum you have; he met Bracken thanks to a friend who ended up dead right after he went to jail, he speaks Spanish, and he's a really good sniper, always clear wound to the neck." She leaned in so he could hear her clearly. "If you want to see your baby taking their first steps, you will tell us right now who Bracken ordered you to kill, and maybe we can shorten your sentence." She let him dwell on his answer.

"I don't know what you're talking about and if I did, it's not worth the risk."

"If you're worried about Bracken getting to you, we will grant you security until your trial." She promised him. It was her only chance at getting at least one evidence of the man behind LokSat. "I'll tell you what, now I'm going to take a break and you have two hours to consider my proposition and give me an answer" She said exiting the room, making sure there was an officer guarding the man.

"Espo, Ryan. Look into Gutiérrez, I want to know everything about that man, and make sure Montes gives us an answer." She retrieved her coat and her purse and went to meet Alexis.

…**..**

Her phone didn't stop ringing and she _needed _to finish the report before her new boss thought about firing her for postponing. She grudgingly took the call.

"Kate?"

"Tell me Alexis's with you"

"No, she told me she had lunch with you. Is something wrong?" She asked.

"She hasn't showed up and it's been an hour" Hayley noticed how frantic Kate was with her word and knew that something must've happened to Alexis to miss out on lunch with her mother.

"Okay, I'll get Rick, you go to the precinct." She offered the distressed lieutenant.

"Al right, I'll fill the guys in" She ended the call.

Hayley knew something bad was about to happen, and she had a hunch that whatever it was, wasn't going to be easy to deal with. She closed the laptop and gathered her things, locked the door and rode off to get Rick.

She knew Kate had told him, she didn't even have to knock on the door, he had already his coat on and the keys to the Ferrari in hand. She didn't even ask about the siren he placed on top of the car, making all the cars part ways to let them go. But she was surprised with the amount of people who could fit in the bullpen, there were feds everywhere, mingling with the other agents and she knew there was no way they could keep it a secret after that. They went to the only room without agents, where Espo and Ryan were talking with Beckett. Rick opened the door and Kate went to him, hugging him tightly, and she knew that she would be hugging Alexis if the roles were reversed.

"What do you think happened to her?" Rick asked to no one in particular, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Whoever's behind LockSat found out we're on their tail and found a way to get to us." Her voice was calm but tight, trying to hide the tension and fear from him.

"Kate, we can't lose her. Not now." He whispered to her, and it brought her back to the first time Alexis was kidnapped in Europe. She had been hoping it didn't happen again, the scare they got from it was too heavy to bear.

"Castle, we'll find her. Don't worry" Espo tried to calm him down, Ryan waited for Kate to break their hug, so they could pat him in the back.

While they were helping the parents, Hayley's phone beeped. She looked at the caller ID, and without thinking took the FaceTime call. It was Alexis's phone but it wasn't the view that would always greet her after taking the call. In other times, she would have taken the call to a cheery and smiling Alexis sharing her theories of their case or to a bored red-hair begging her to go to the office and save her from the paperwork after solving a case.

No, this time what greeted her at the other side of the line, was a masked man, in what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse. She shushed them all out and drew their attention. When she was sure they were all watching, she spoke for the first time. Voice calm and controlled.

"Who are you?" She asked, she was so caught up with the situation, that she hadn't notice the tech guy Ryan had gone to fetch.

"Ms. Shipton. We finally meet. Congratulations are in order" He was stalling, not wanting to reveal too much information.

"Where is she? What have you done to her?" She asked, still controlling her voice.

"Well, in order to ask your questions, you'll have to do a few things for me. First, you are going to display this call somewhere Mr. Castle can see his little girl." She handed the phone Ofiicer Davis, who managed to place the call in the screen of the waiting room. "Now, you are going to tell Daddy dearest what you have been hiding from him." She knew she didn't have to, she knew he was just having fun. But she couldn't risk it, not when Alexis's life was on the line. "I'm waiting Ms. Shipton"

"What is it Hayley? And why's this so important?" He was clueless, grasping for an answer.

"Alexis and I… we've been together for five years." She confessed to her future father-in-law.

"What? You and Alexis? How…?" He turned to Kate.

"I found out last Christmas, the closet in the master bedroom of Alexis's place was full with clothes that didn't look like hers. And there were a couple of pictures in the nightstand drawer." She was quick to answer.

"And the best part Mr. Castle, is that his is just the beginning, isn't it right Ms. Shipton?" The caller brought the attention to himself once again.

"We got engaged yesterday. I proposed to her and she said yes. We were going to tell you over breakfast on Saturday." She didn't look at Caslte in the eyes, she couldn't bear to see the disappointment in his face. "Now you show her to us. We had a deal"

"You drive a hard bargain, but as your engagement present I'm going to grant you your wish." He then switched the camera and Alexis appeared on the screen.

"Alexis?" Castle was the first one to talk. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner Daddy." Her voice broke.

"Don't worry about that, pumpkin. We'll talk about this once you get home." He consoled his crying daughter.

"Not now, Mr. Castle, this call wasn't for you, but for her. Let her speak." He shifted his gaze towards Hayley.

"Alexis, are you okay?" She asked, the worry clear in her voice.

"I think so, but they drugged me to get me here, so I don't know what have they done while I was out." She didn't have to explain what she was referring to, Hayley took a breath and nodded. She knew that whatever it was, they would work through it together. "And they took the ring"

"Don't worry about it, love. I'll buy another one once you're here." She could sense Castle staring at her, but she didn't turn because she knew what look he was giving her.

"Now, Ms. Shipton, may I have a word with you?" The man reappeared on the screen, hiding Alexis from view.

"Who are you?" She asked the masked man.

"You can call me Mr. Flynn. I need you and your friends to stop looking." He declared, almost threatening.

"What do you want?" Kate asked.

"Well, I want to meet you Lieutenant Castle. I've heard a lot about the incredible Detective Beckett and I want to see if that's all true. So, I'll make a deal with you. Your life for your daughter's, and no, Mr. Castle I'm not interested in you."

"Only if you let her go"

"Of course. After all, there's a wedding to plan, isn't that right Alexis?" He looked back at the girl chained to the wall. "Oh, I almost forget, you have to say goodbye to your mother Alexis, I don't think you're going to see her anytime soon."

"Mom, don't do this, it's fine. You have Roy and Jo to take care of, and we all know Dad wouldn't survive it. Please, don't do this Mom."

"Alexis, there's no way I'm letting you die if I have a say in the matter. You have your whole life ahead of you and I want you to live it. I'm sorry, but it's not up to you and I've already made up my mind." She let the tears fall. "Text me the details" She demanded to the man.

He nodded and the camera turned to show Alexis once again.

"I love you, Mom."  
"I love you too, Alexis" And the call went dead.

…

"Now Johanna, here's what we're going to do; you're going to lay down and relax, then I'm going to ask you a few questions and see what you can tell me about it." Dr. Burke smiled comfortingly at her, and she smiled back.

Once she had laid back and had her head resting on the soft pillow, she allowed herself to relax. "Shall we begin?"

She nodded.


End file.
